The Assassin Series: Achroi
by Little Miss Massacre
Summary: He was a boy. She was a girl. He was normal. She was an assassin. He was a human. She was a vampyre. What will happen when these two meet? Will the girl remain evil and merciless or will she change her ways when something life altering happens to her? RnR
1. Prologue

The man ran

The man ran. He ran even though he knew she was after him. He ran even though he knew it was pointless. He stumbled over boulders, slowing him down. The girl sat in a nearby tree, watching the man with amusement in her intense grey eyes.

She liked it when they ran, liked it when they threw insults at her and looked for a place to hide. And the begging, oh the begging, _that _was the best. She didn't mind the insults or the name calling, for who could blame them? After all, she was an assassin. She was paid to kill. And she was good at it, _very_ good at it.

But this time it was different. She hadn't been paid to get rid of this man. A few hours ago, she had been walking the streets of a small village, looking for the man she had been ordered to destroy. Instead of finding her target, she had found a man who was terrified of her, even though she didn't know him. So instead of pursuing her original target, she followed this man who had taken flight just after she had taken a few steps towards him. Her original job forgotten, the girl hid and waited patiently in the tree for the man to make a fatal mistake. She didn't have to wait long.

The man stumbled again and this time did not rise. She grinned slowly, menacingly, as she leapt gracefully from the tree. She was tall and slim, a long braid of ebony hair trailing down her back and hell smoke grey eyes. Her long stride took her straight to the trembling man who was lying on his stomach, hands protectively covering his head. She rolled him over with her boot. He froze as she towered above him clad in black tunic and breeches. She wore knee high brown leather boots and had a sword sheathed at her side. She knelt beside the man and smiled coldly.

'Poor, poor little man,' she said sweetly as he shuddered, 'out here all alone with no one to help you.' The man opened and closed his mouth then opened it again.

'Cat got your tongue?' she asked, her voice still sickly sweet.

'What do you want?' the man squeaked. She smiled again.

'I want you to tell me who you are and why you are so afraid of me,' she answered, rising and unsheathing her sword, 'you ran away from me and I hadn't done a thing to you. Who are you and what do you know?' She tapped the tip of her sword against her boot as she waited for the reply.

'Well?'

'Nothing, I know nothing!'

'Little man, this is not a good time for pathetic little lies,' she answered, growing impatient, 'it will only take me a few seconds to remove your head from your body.' The man gulped audibly.

'I know nothing!' he repeated desperately, 'please, I know nothing!'

'LIAR!' she bellowed, 'tell me what you know or I'll kill you without a seconds hesitation!'

'You're looking for someone, someone who I happen to be business partners with,' he babbled, 'I know you were sent to that village to assassinate him. And as for how I know you, _everyone_ knows who you are. Stories have been going around the villages of a young female assassin with long ebony hair. Rumour says that you have killed many people and are merciless. I knew instantly who you were by just giving you one glance. And that is why I ran.'

'Finished?' she asked in a bored tone. The man nodded.

'Well, it's not exactly what I wanted to hear but you did mention some interesting things.'

'And what were they?' the man asked.

'You said you are business partners with my target,' she said, 'is that true?' He nodded and she smiled coldly.

'Thank-you little man, you have been quite helpful,' she said cheerily, 'now it's time for you to die.' The man squawked and tried to scramble away from her. The girl laughed derisively and stepped on the mans cloak, stopping him from crawling further away from her.

'Please don't kill me!' the man pleaded. She laughed again.

'Little man, weren't you aware that you had signed your own death warrant the second you told me that you were business partners with my target?' she asked grinning broadly. The man shook his head. She laughed again then sobered. With a look of doom on her face she leant forward and whispered into his ear, 'rumour is right, I am merciless'. The mans eyes widened in shock as she stabbed her sword into his heart then pulled it out again. Just as his eyesight began to fade and the beat of his heart began to dim, the last thing he heard was the sound of a young girl laughing.

Samhain wandered through the streets aimlessly, stopping every now and then to look at something on a stand. He lived in a small town called Ollabandia that was situated on the edge of the Evannha Forest where few ventured. Samhain was tall and well built. He had white-blond hair that fell over his dark eyes and he had a fair face. He had lived in Ollabandia for only a few months after being told that his fathers life was in danger and they needed to go somewhere far from any city. And Ollabandia was definitely far from any city. Nothing interesting ever happened in the small town and Samhain often found himself becoming bored. But that had changed only a few hours ago when a strange man had ran shrieking down the main street with a young girl in hot pursuit. Many people had stopped and stared as this event took place but none bothered to help. The man still hadn't returned to the village, nor had the girl, which Samhain thought odd. The nearest village was a few days ride from Ollabandia and the nearest city was a week's ride away. Neither of them could have gotten far.

Samhain finished his walk then headed for home, which stood on the outskirts of the village. It was strange that they were living on the outskirts of the village when his father was in danger. He thought that they at least would've lived somewhere near the middle where it would be harder to find them. As he approached the house he heard the sound of girlish laughter and music and guessed that his three sisters were practising how to dance properly. As he walked through the front door, he was bombarded with questions and different coloured ribbons. By the look of all the dresses lying on the couch, they had been invited to a dance (which explained the music and laughter). Samhain headed for his room and locked the door. He walked over to his window and let the gentle breeze caress his face. He missed his old home, his friends and the bustle of a busy city. There was a quiet knock on his door and he mumbled, "Enter". There was a soft "click" as the door was unlocked and Samhains mother, Anthea, walked into the room and lay down his good clothes on the bed. Samhain moaned inwardly as he stared at the clothes.

'Tonight we are going to a party,' Anthea said as she smoothed out the creases in the jacket.

'I know,' Samhain answered, 'whose party?'

'Lord Ringwood has invited us to his ball as a way to meet more people,' Anthea said.

'Lord Ringwood? Who's that?' Samhain asked, not recognising the name.

'He's the mayor of the town,' his mother answered, 'apparently lots of people are going to be there.'

'Isn't that a bit dangerous?' Samhain asked.

'How's it dangerous?'

'Well isn't it a bit dangerous to go out and be around heaps of people?' Samhain asked, 'I mean, with Fathers life in danger and everything.'

'No, it won't be dangerous,' Anthea answered.

'But don't you think who ever wants to harm Father would be there and try to hurt him?'

'They wouldn't try to hurt him with so many people around as witnesses,' Anthea said and she left the room.

An hour later Samhain and his family were ready for the party. As they all got into the carriage, the hairs on the back of Samhains neck stood on end. He had a feeling that they were being watched. As the carriage rolled through the streets, Samhains mind would play tricks on him by turning all shadows into something that looked like it was about to attack. As they entered the town hall music, people and laughter surrounded them. Samhains parents walked up to the mayor and started talking while his sisters wandered off together leaving Samhain on his own. As he wandered through the crowd of people, he noticed a strange girl staring at him. She had long ebony hair and strange grey eyes. She wore a plain dress and tiny white silk slippers. Samhain thought he had seen her before but he wasn't sure. Her stare was starting to unnerve him when he finally realised who she was. She was the girl who had chased that man into the forest and had seemingly vanished. And now here she was, staring at him with a strange look on her face and walking towards him. Samhain took a few steps back then looked around for his family. He couldn't see any of them. He turned his attention back to the girl but she had vanished. Again.

She had watched them leave the house and get into their carriage. She had watched them enter the town hall and had followed them in. And now she was watching their oldest child, a boy around the age of sixteen, or so she had been told. He was tall and well built with white-blond hair that fell over his abnormally dark eyes. He walked around the room, taking in the surroundings. When his eyes met hers, she had to fight the urge not to run at him and stab him with the dagger that was hidden in the folds of her gown. She didn't usually wear a gown but the occasion demanded formal wear. So she had obliged. At first when he had looked at her, confusion was written all over his face but then recognition dawned and he looked alarmed. She guessed that he had either heard about the rumours or had seen her chase the man through the streets, and, when the man hadn't returned, assumed the worst. She began to walk towards him and settled for her second guess when he started to retreat from her. She saw him look wildly around for any of his family members. She was about to advance more when the people standing around her started to stare and whisper things. As more people started to turn and stare she decided it was safer for her to disappear for a while and come back later when they had forgotten about her.

Forty-five minutes later, the boy appeared outside. He leaned against a pillar and breathed deeply. His face was flushed from dancing. She watched his every move and waited for the right moment to strike. The boy took another deep breath and closed his eyes. She quickly moved out of the shadows then went and stood in front of the boy. He opened his eyes and shrieked.

Samhain had gone outside to get some air. He had been asked to dance by nearly every girl in the room. He still hadn't seen that strange girl since she vanished. He leaned against a pillar and sighed. He wanted to go home and get away from all this. He sighed again and closed his eyes, wishing he were back in the city. When he opened his eyes, the strange girl was standing right in front of him. Samhain shrieked and nearly toppled backwards. When he had regained his senses, he studied her. She was tall and slim, her ebony hair, which fell to her waist, had intricate little braids woven through it. Her strange grey eyes were fixed to his and he felt as though his life had just come to a sudden end.

'Who are you?' Samhain asked, his voice sounding confident, exactly the opposite of how he felt. The girl didn't answer, but continued to stare at him.

'Who are you? Tell me who you are!' he demanded. The girl blinked then answered, 'my name is Achroi.'

'What do you want?' Samhain asked.

'Nothing,' she answered, the same strange look plastered to her face.

'Why were you following me?' Samhain asked.

'Not following, but watching,' Achroi answered mysteriously.

'Why are you watching?'

'No reason.'

'Who are you watching?'

'You.'

'Why are you watching me?' Samhain asked, panic creeping into his voice.

'No reason,' she answered, a slight smile playing on her lips.

'What's with all the mysterious answers?' Samhain said. Achroi just shrugged. He continued to stare at her in silence only to be copied. After a few minutes she spoke.

'What's your name?'

'Samhain,' he answered.

'Samhain,' she repeated, 'strange name.'

'Well Achroi's a strange name,' Samhain retorted. The girl just merely shrugged.

'You had better watch your back Samhain,' Achroi warned as she started to walk away, 'you never know who might be watching.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Samhain asked her retreating back. But there came no answer. Achrois words echoed through his mind, "You never know who might be watching." Samhain had no idea what she meant and little did he know that _she_ would be the one watching him.

Samhain, reluctantly, returned to the Hall and tried to find his parents. He complained of a bad headache and had his family leave the party at once. His meeting with Achroi had unnerved him and he was wary of the fact that they would someday meet again. That night Samhain didn't sleep, but lay awake thinking about the danger that was supposedly meant to be coming for his father. But so far nothing had happened. Had it all been a way just to leave the city or was the danger very real and just hadn't decided to strike? Either way, Samhain no longer felt safe in the small, quiet village.

Achroi sat down on the bed and peeled off the white slippers that she was wearing. Her encounter with the boy, Samhain, had been amusing. She thought it funny the way he tried to act so brave in the face of danger, thought it funny the way he tried to decipher her riddled answers. He was a handsome boy, but not very bright. But that was just her opinion. She thought that it was strange that he hadn't even been slightly alarmed when she had told him that she was watching him. She also thought it strange that he hadn't told his parents about his encounter with her. That was something she hadn't expected. She walked across to the window and stared out at the empty street below. Three weeks ago, she had been hired to kill a man who had done something to horrible to mention, or so her employer had said. Now, three weeks later, she had located her target and was about to finish him off. But there was just one problem standing in her way. She wasn't sure how to go about the murder. Never before in her whole life as an assassin, had she not known what to do, not known how best to kill her next victim. Achroi let the gentle wind ruffle her hair and caress he face. She walked back over to the bed and huddled beneath the covers. She would dwell over the murder tomorrow, but for now, she wanted sleep. As she drifted off to sleep, she had one last thought of the boy and their encounter. He was a handsome boy but not very bright. Well, not bright enough to realise that he had just met his fathers contracted killer.


	2. Capture

**Okay, so this is the first chapter where things start to fall into place. I've made a few changes here and there though. Enjoy!**Chapter One

Samhain woke in a cold sweat. The dream he had just woke from was slowly fading into the back of his memory. He wiped the sweat from his face as he tried to remember what the dream was about in the first place. He remembered that he was standing in a small clearing in the Evannha Forest. He remembered gazing at the strange soft green light that was filtering through the treetops as he listened to the sounds of the birds. And then he remembered the sound of a twig snapping behind him. He remembered slowly turning, a wary look on his face, to find the strange girl Achroi walking towards him. But she didn't look like herself. Her strange warm smile had been replaced by a wicked grin and her eyes were a feral crimson red. He remembered her beckoning him towards her and him obeying like a lovesick puppy. He remembered how she had trailed her hand down the side of his neck, her eyes lighting up when she felt the pulsating blood beneath his skin. Remembered as he stared, horrified, as she opened her mouth and revealed elongated fangs. He remembered the pain, the blinding pain, as she sunk those fangs into the side of his neck. That's what had awakened him from the dream, the blinding pain.

Samhain quickly got out of bed and dressed. He hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. He found his mother and his eldest sister, Pearl, at the stove making a fresh batch of scones. He quickly told his mother he was going out then all but flew out the front door. He called to the stable hand to ready his horse while he pulled on his riding boots. He quickly mounted then sped towards town. He didn't know why he was going into town or where he would go. He just knew that he had to try and clear his head. He slowed down as he came to the main street so as to not run over any pedestrians. He watched the people bustle around the busy street stopping here and there to purchase something. He wondered aimlessly through the streets, occasionally wandering down a street that he'd never bothered to explore. As he wandered, he came to the more industrial part of town. He passed small warehouses where he guessed wheat; wool and other things were stored. He wandered back up the main street again then down a side street. This street was crowded with inns and their stables. He noticed a small general store near the corner where a group of children were lining up, no doubt, for some lollies. He was about to turn around and go back when a small, pale face appeared at a window in one of the inns. He recognised the face and stopped dead. Why was she here at this inn? Wasn't she rich enough to afford something better? He continued to ponder when her eyes locked on to his face. The look she gave him wasn't friendly. She disappeared again and Samhain jumped off his horse and walked casually, well what he thought was casual, into the inns crowded dining room. He ignored the innkeeper as he approached and bounded up the stairs, which he assumed led to the guests' rooms. He stopped in the middle of the corridor as he realized he didn't know which room she was in. He proceeded cautiously as he continued the walk down the corridor; listening for any sound that might give away what room she was in. He didn't have to listen for long. He heard muffled cursing come from behind one of the doors. He wasn't positive, but he was sure that it was her who had cursed. He placed his hand on the door handle and slowly twisted the knob. He held his breath as he pushed the door open revealing a very disgruntled Achroi.

Achroi had woken with a plan set in her head. As she had slept, her semi-unconscious mind had formed a plan for her task. She decided she would kidnap one of her targets children, preferably Samhain, and lure her target deep into the Evannha Forest where she would wait for him. She was positive that her target, Samhains father, would fall for the trap because she knew that he wouldn't risk his son and only heir. She had cleaned herself then dressed and prepared herself for her days work. Walking to the window, she decided what she would do. First she had decided to stalk them, find out their daily routines and hobbies. Then she would decide the best moment to strike, the moment when she would kidnap the boy and ask for his ransom. Then she would take him, drag him if necessary, deep into the forest where she knew a small clearing existed. She would keep him there, alive, until his father came looking for him and offered his life instead of the boys. Well, that's what she was hoping he would do. She didn't want to have to kill him in front of his son. She liked being an assassin, loved the thrill of killing, but didn't want to have to hurt any more people than necessary. She believed that only the people with evil in their hearts should suffer. As she had stared out the window, her eyes fell upon a small figure on a horse. Samhain was staring up at her, a confused look on his face. She stared at him for a moment then realised that he had just helped her with her plan. She grinned wickedly and turned back into her room. As she walked towards her bag she tripped on the rug and fell to the floor, cursing all the way down. She got up again and grabbed her bag. She was in the middle of packing when the door to her room had opened. Samhain was standing at the door, watching her with amusement and confusion in his dark eyes. She ignored him and continued to pack her things, stopping every so often to rub her sore head. She closed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. Then she straightened up and looked at Samhain.

'Going somewhere?' Samhain asked, taking in her dishevelled appearance.

'As a matter of fact, yes,' Achroi answered flicking her hair over her shoulder.

'Where?' Samhain asked.

'Somewhere.'

'You want to be a little more specific?'

'I'm going to another town,' she answered evasively, 'you know, places to go people to see.'

'What town?'

'That's for me to know and you to find out.'

'And exactly how am I supposed to find out?' Samhain asked, just a hint of irritation in his tone. He still didn't like the way she used cryptic answers.

'Um, well…' Achroi began circling around him. As she walked around she grabbed her dagger that was lying on a small table. She gripped the dagger by the blade and turned the hilt so it was pointing towards the floor.

'Well?' Samhain asked, no idea of what she was planning to do.

'Well, you could find out like this,' Achroi said. She lunged at Samhain and knocked him to the floor while at the same time ramming the hilt of the dagger into his head, knocking him out. She jumped up and quickly tied his hands and feet together. _Now the hard part,_ she thought. _How the hell do I get him out of here without anybody noticing?_ She considered throwing him out the window but decided not to. He needed to be unscathed if his father was to pay the ransom. She opted to put him in a sack and carry him down the stairs, pretending that he was dirty laundry. She hurried down the stairs; the boy slung over one shoulder her bag on the other. Achroi ignored the people's strange stares as she hurried out the door. She all but ran to the stables and readied her horse. She laid the sack of "dirty laundry" across the horse then climbed on. Achroi kept one hand on the sack, the other on the reins. She rode out of the stables and onto the street. Careful not to hit any people on the street, she rode down the main street and headed for the forest. As soon as she was behind the safety of the trees, she slowed down to a walk. The clearing was in the center of the forest, only a few yards away. Once Achroi had reached the clearing, she dumped the sack on the ground. She jumped down from her horse and tethered him to a tree. Achroi quickly pulled Samhain from out of the sack and propped him up against another tree. She had accomplished the first part of her task, now all she had to do was do the second part. The hard part. Somehow she had to convince her target to come with her, alone, into the forest. Her capture of Samhain had made it that little bit easier. Achroi was positive that her target would come once he learnt what would happen to his son if he didn't obey. She rested her head against a tree and contemplated on how she was going to get him alone. As she was drifting off to sleep, she didn't hear the soft groans coming from Samhain. He was starting to wake up. Which was _not _a part of the plan.

**So what did you think? If you have any ideas for more changes just let me know. Read and Review.**


	3. Stuck

Samhain woke with his head throbbing

Samhain woke with his head throbbing. He tried to reach up and touch his head but he found that his hands were tied. So were his feet. He looked around and saw that he was in a small clearing, probably somewhere deep in the Evannha Forest. He gingerly turned his head and saw a black horse tethered to a tree and a sleeping figure beside that tree. The sleeping figure was Achroi. He remembered that he had found her in an inn packing. Was she going somewhere? He couldn't remember. All he could remember was asking her questions then it went blank. She must have knocked him out. He bridled at the idea of a girl as small as she knocking a boy like him out. It just wasn't heard of. He struggled against the binding ropes but to no avail. He gave up and settled back against the tree. There was no point in doing anything until Achroi woke up. Then he would try and talk to her and see what she was planning on doing with him. As Samhain waited in silence, he studied the clearing searching for any possible escape route. He found none. He was starting to get slightly frustrated when Achroi rolled over and opened her eyes. She stared at him for a few seconds then got up and walked to her horse. She tossed a small canteen of water at him. He just stared at it.

'Well, drink,' Achroi said. Samhain just looked at her.

'How am I supposed to drink when my hands are tied up?' he asked indicating his hands with his head.

'Well, you're supposed to be smart so you figure it out,' she answered coldly. He frowned. Since when had she become cold to him? What had he ever done to her?

'Why am I here?' Samhain asked.

'You're here because I need you to help me with something,' she answered as she readied her horse.

'What do you need help with?' he asked, confused.

'You'll find out soon enough.' Achroi swung into her saddle and prepared to leave.

'Where are you going?'

'To town.'

'And you're just going to leave me here, all on my own?'

'Yep.'

'But there might be dangerous animals out here!'

'You're a big boy now, you'll survive.' And with that Achroi rode out of the clearing.

Samhain spent the rest of the day scowling at the water canteen. He didn't know how long Achroi would be gone for and he was starting to get restless. He now knew the clearing from top to bottom, nearly knew every pattern on the leaves.

The rope that was binding his hands was starting to rub against his skin. It was leaving little red marks. He sighed and looked up at the sky. It _looked_ like it was starting to get dark but he couldn't tell properly. He leaned back against the tree and blew out some air. His legs were starting to go numb from sitting for so long. His neck had a crick in it and he couldn't move it properly.

After what seemed like ages, Achroi finally rode back into the clearing. She didn't look happy.


	4. Demon

How could it have ended like that

How could it have ended like that? What did I do wrong? I had everything neatly laid out: the plan, the ransom, and the get away point. Where had it gone wrong? Achroi pondered over this as she rode, crestfallen, back to the clearing. Everything was going according to her plan until that stupid wench interfered. If it weren't for her, she'd have the duke riding quietly and obediently behind her, with the faintest bit of hope that he could save his son. Achroi went back over the day's events as she tried to find that fatal flaw in her plan….

_Stupid boy,_ Achroi thought as she quickly rode away from the clearing, _doesn't he know that there are far more dangerous creatures out here than just mere "dangerous animals"? Clearly he isn't the brightest person. _She rode swiftly through the forest, going over here plan one last time. Stalk him, knock him out, and capture him. Simple enough. She slowed into a walk as she neared the borders of the town; she didn't want to look suspicious.

She casually rode around the town, pausing to stop and look at the small stalls that were lining the street. She was about to stop and purchase a whip when she spotted him flitting through a side street, two bulky figures at his side. _Must have increased security since his son disappeared,_ Achroi thought. A wicked smile played about her lips. _Perfect, increased security means double the fun. This day just keeps getting better and better._

She followed them down the little side street and watched them come back onto a main street. They started heading towards the other borders; towards his home. She quickly followed and caught up with them. When they heard the sound of approaching hooves, all three men turned warily around to face her. She smiled angelically at them and dismounted. Achroi took a few short steps towards them and held out her hand. They all just stared at her.

Achroi just kept smiling and politely asked them if they knew where she could find a decent inn in where she could spend the night. They told her of the best inn and began to walk away. When they realised that she had not moved, they turned around to face her once again and walked back to her. _Mistake number one._

"Do you need directions?" one of the bulky men asked.

"I'd prefer it if you would be so kind as to show me the way," Achroi answered sweetly.

"Very well," the duke said, resigned, "we will show you the way." _Mistake number two._ They led her back towards the town and onto the main street. They walked for a few blocks then took a short cut down a deserted ally. _Mistake number three._ Achroi stopped walking and pretended that her horse had lost one of his shoes. One of the bulky men turned around to help her. _Mistake number four. _Achroi lashed out and drew her dagger across his throat.

The mans eyes bulged as he choked and spluttered, blood pouring from his torn throat. The other bulky man turned around and quickly realised what had happened. He screamed for the duke to run and lunged at Achroi. She feinted to the right and lodged her dagger into the back of his head. He went down like a pile of rocks. She looked up to see the duke frozen in horror a few meters away.

Then he did an amazingly stupid thing: he ran towards her, screeching and waving a small jewel encrusted dagger. As he ran towards her he made a fatal mistake: he stumbled and fell. It would have been fatal for the old duke if the damned wind hadn't shifted direction. The smell of freshly spilled blood wafted back to her nose and her insides squirmed with need. She tried to shake the feeling off but it was overwhelming. She hadn't fed in _such_ a long time.

She forgot all about the duke lying on the ground and lunged for the nearest carcass. She dipped her finger into the blood squirting from the mans head and licked it clean. That's when she snapped. She pulled the mans head back and sunk her teeth into his neck, groaning as the hot liquid poured into her mouth. She would've drained him clean if it wasn't for a certain voice that was screaming bloody murder. She forgot about the bodies and the lovely blood that was being wasted on the pavement and turned to face the woman that was screaming. As soon as she turned and the woman locked eyes with hers, Achroi knew that she had made a mistake; a big mistake.

The woman screamed again and turned and ran from the alley.

Achroi didn't blame her because she knew what she had seen. She had seen a young girl with feral crimson eyes and blood dripping from her chin looking at her; looking at her as though she were food. Achroi snapped out of her vision when she heard the woman screaming again. Screaming things that shouldn't be said or heard. Achroi started running after the woman, which only made things worse. She started screaming louder and shouted for help. Achroi gave up when people started to turn and look.

She quickly darted into the shadows and ran for the borders, her horse following obediently. Just as Achroi reached the safety of the forest, she heard the distant screams of the woman. "Demon! Demon in the alley! DEMON!!!"

_Okay, so I at least know where I went wrong, _Achroi thought as she approached the clearing, _I let my hunger get to me and destroy everything. Just like it always does._ She dismounted and was about to enter the clearing when one teeny tiny detail stopped her. How was she going to explain the lack of supplies? And better yet, _how was she going to explain all the blood?_


	5. The Truth About Forever

Chapter Four

Samhain was just starting to doze off when he heard the distant sound of hooves falling on the soft forest floor. He looked up and saw Achroi slowly walking into the clearing; and she was covered in blood.

Achroi entered the clearing slowly, not wanting to disturb Samhain or frighten him by all the blood that was matted in her hair and all over her clothes. But she was too late. He had noticed the blood and was staring at her, horrified. She groaned inwardly as he placed an inquisitive expression on his face. He opened his mouth and was about to speak but she held up her hand.

"Not now, Samhain," she said, wiping her face with a rag.

"Why not now?" Samhain asked, staring at her.

"Because in case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the best of moods." And she was right. He could see the frown creasing her brow, the anger and frustration in her eyes. He decided to leave her alone; for now.

Later on that evening, Samhain decided to finally ask her what had happened. He asked her the first thing that came to his mind: "Why are you covered in blood?"

She just looked at him.

"Because I felt like having a blood bath today," she answered sarcastically, "why do you think I'm covered in blood?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Why are you covered in blood? Did you kill something?" Samhain asked hopefully, his stomach growling.

"Yes, actually, I did kill. But it wasn't a _something;_ it was a some_one._ Two someone's, actually." Samhain just stared at her.

"You don't believe me?" Achroi asked, a mock expression of hurt on her face.

"No, I don't," he answered calmly.

"Well, I did kill somebody. I killed two men. I slit the first mans throat, then I lodged my dagger into the other mans head. There was a lot of blood. And then there was a woman who was screaming and shrieking "demon!" at me. Quite funny, actually." But as Achroi pondered over her brief summary, she knew that it wasn't _funny_ how the woman had interrupted her.

"I don't believe you," Samhain said swallowing a lump in his throat. He _wouldn't _believe it.

"Oh, you better believe it," Achroi said, "because they were men who were supposedly meant to be protecting your father. A lot of good they're doing, being dead and all."

"How do you know my father?" Samhain asked, staring at the strange girl beside him. She just turned and looked at him.

"Coincidence, I think," she answered toying with a strand of hair. Samhain frowned at her.

"Tell me the truth. How do you know my father?"

"You want my honest answer?"

"Yes."

"Brace yourself."

Samhain tried to keep his eyes open as he and Achroi thundered towards the town. He wasn't sure where she was taking him but if it gave him a chance to escape and go home, he was all for it. The wind was making his eyes water and small branches were whipping him across the face every time he leaned to the side to see where they were going. Achroi had cleaned herself up before they left, not wanting to "scare the peaceful villagers" as she had said.

They finally approached the town's borders but Achroi showed no sign of slowing down. They thundered down the main street, nearly knocking people off their feet and sending young children screaming. _So much for not wanting to scare people,_ Samhain thought bitterly. They continued on through the streets, taking shortcuts here and there. Samhain finally realised where they were heading when he saw his house looming ahead.

Achroi felt Samhain tighten his grip on her waist as they approached his home. _Well, he asked for it,_ she thought dispassionately. She slowed down as they came to the small courtyard. Achroi dismounted then dragged Samhain to the kitchen window. She kept a tight grip on him as they listened to the conversation going on the other side of the wall.

Samhains eyes widened and widened until they couldn't get any wider. He was horrified and shocked to the core. How could Achroi have done such a thing? How could she kill his father's protectors and then try to kill him as well? How could she betray him like that? Was she the strange, seemingly sweet girl that was kneeling in from of him at this very moment, or was she the demon from his nightmares?

Achroi watched Samhains features change with a small amount of satisfaction as he learned the horrifying truth about who she really was. Would he still think of her as the same or would he try and turn on her and destroy her? _He can try,_ she thought watching him as he curled his hands into fists, _he probably doesn't realise that he'll come off second best in a fight with a 108 year old vampyre. And I _never _lose._

She continued to watch him and resisted the urge to laugh at his expression. He was glaring at her with hatred in his eyes.

"You can glare all you want," she said, "it's not going to change a thing."

"How could you do such a thing?" he asked, the pain clear in his voice.

"Uh, because I can?"

"You're evil."

"You're telling me?"

"I never want to talk to you again," he spat menacingly.

"Well guess what buddy boy, you ain't got a choice." She stood up quickly and dragged him back to her horse. He kicked and screamed at her the whole way there.

"You can scream all you want, no one's going to help you." But she was sorely mistaken. Samhains whole family burst through the front door at that instant. They were all staring at her as she forced Samhain into the saddle.

"Howdy folks," Achroi said cheerily as she mounted behind Samhain.

"Let me go!" Samhain screamed.

"I don't think so," she answered, wheeling her horse around and readying to take off.

"Where are you taking my son?" Samhains mother asked anxiously, tears streaking her face.

"Somewhere," Achroi answered gleefully. It was so much fun seeing the pain she was causing them. She waved cheerfully at them then took off back up the road. Samhain was still screaming at her as they entered the clearing. As soon as he was off the horse, Samhain tried to make a runner. But Achroi was quicker, _much _quicker.

"Try to run like that again," she warned producing a small pistol from nowhere and pointing it at his face, "I won't hesitate to shoot you down."

"I hate you," Samhain said eyeing the pistol.

"I don't really care," Achroi answered motioning for him to sit back down against the tree. Samhain sat down reluctantly. Achroi was about to leave it at that but she wanted one more chance at some fun.

"Samhain?" Achroi asked innocently, he looked up, "how much do you love me?" Samhain roared with fury and threw small branches at her.

"Not much, obviously," Achroi said cracking up.


	6. The Reasons

Chapter Five

Achroi sat against the tree whittling down branches with her newly acquired knife. Samhain still felt sorely about her and any chance he got he would try to lash out at her. She found it very amusing because she knew that he could never truly hurt her. She kept carving the wood when she felt two eyes boring into the back of her head.

"You can keep glaring at me all you want Samhain, it isn't going to change anything," she said as she turned to face him. He glared at her as his mouth twitched.

"How can you be so cruel?" he asked.

"I've already answered that question a million times," Achroi replied rolling her eyes, "I'm cruel because I can be. It's fun."

"How is it fun? Didn't you see the look of anguish in my mothers eyes?"

"Yes, I did see it. That's what makes this job so much fun. The pain it can cause."

"What job? You don't have a job."

"Really, Samhain. Sometimes I think your head is truly filled with sawdust. I'm an assassin, you dolt."

_So, she was an assassin, was she?_ Samhain thought later on that night. _If she's an assassin, why hasn't she killed me?_ He continued to stare at the thick canopy of leaves as he contemplated the plan that was forming in his head. He knew it wasn't wise to try to escape from her but he had to get away. If she had killed people before, then what was stopping her from killing him?

He had decided to wait until she had fallen asleep, asleep asleep, before he tried to get away. He had no idea what direction the town was in but he wasn't worried about that right now. Just as long as he was away from her and was running, he didn't care what direction he was headed.

He lay there silently, listening to her steady breathing, waiting for the sign that would tell him that she was in a deep sleep.

Then it started, her talking. He knew she was in a deep sleep when she started talking in her sleep. But it wasn't normal talking, it was more like pleading, begging. Sometimes she even started to scream.

He hoped that didn't happen tonight, because when she started to scream, she woke up. He got up slowly and quietly, and started to creep to the edge of the clearing but then he stopped. He eyed the water canteen that was lying by Achroi's side. He mentally kicked himself for being so weak but all the same he edged closer to her sleeping body and bent down.

He quickly snatched the canteen and walked backwards slowly, watching her for any signs of movement, towards the edge of the clearing. _CRACK._ Samhain cursed as the twig snapped beneath his feet. He eyed Achroi warily but she didn't show any sign of waking up. Her muttering continued as he left the clearing. He was about to start running when Achroi started screaming. Samhain cursed out loud then bolted.

Achroi lay on the ground, afraid to go to sleep. Every time she slept, he would come to her. And he would wreak havoc in her mind, making her replay that night, that awful night. She dreaded closing her eyes, so she mentally ordered her eyes to stay open. But they disobeyed her, they always did. As soon as her eyes had closed, she dreamed.

_Achroi wandered down the street aimlessly, marvelling at all the lights that lit the street. Never in her entire life had she seen so much light, so much life. She loved living in the city, absolutely loved it. Even though she was fifteen and it was dangerous for her to be wandering around alone at night she knew she could wander wherever she pleased with out fear of ever getting hurt. Her father owned half of this city and he had plenty of his servants watching her every move, even if they didn't realise that she knew about them._

_She continued down the street when she heard a soft mewing coming from one of the dark alleyways. She knew she wasn't allowed down the alleys but the soft mewing was calling to her. She just had to go see what it was. She quickly glanced around her to see if she was being followed then darted into the alley. She walked slowly towards the sound then stopped. She turned around and looked down._

_A small white kitten was sitting on top of a bag of rags, looking intently at her. Achroi squealed with delight, bent and picked up the kitten. She cuddled it in her arms and smoothed its dirty fur. She had always wanted a kitten but her father had forbid her from having any pets at all. Especially cats, her father was very superstitious. _

_The cat purred softly in her arms. She snuggled her face against its soft fur and decided to call it Kay. Achroi didn't care if the kitten wasn't female. She liked the name Kay. _

_Achroi was about to walk out of the alley when something caught her eye. Sitting at a doorstep was a young man with a basket in front of him. She hadn't noticed him sitting there before but curiosity got the better of her. She walked towards him then stopped. He looked up at her and gestured for her to look into the basket. She peered into it then squealed again. _

_Five little kittens were curled up there, all rolled up into little balls of fur. Achroi sat down and picked up a small black and white kitten. As she continued to play with the kitten, she didn't notice the boy looking at her hungrily. Achroi looked up at him and started to smile but stopped. _

_He was looking at her weirdly and she didn't like it. She started to try and edge away from him but he grabbed onto her wrist. She struggled against his tight grip but he only held her more tightly. She started to scream but he covered her mouth with his grimy hand. He told her that if she didn't stop screaming he would kill her. She agreed to stay quiet, which then sealed her fate._

_He dragged her deeper into the alley and threw her against a stone wall. She hit her head on the concrete and then slumped against the wall. As she tried to stand up she wiped the blood from her mouth. She tried running but he pinned her against the wall. She screamed and cried as he did awful things to her. Her screams suddenly died when something sharp and painful pierced her neck. She looked down and saw that he had bitten her._

_Her screams started again when she realised what he was. But it was too late for her. He had almost drained her of her blood when her fathers Hench men came storming into the alley. _

_The boy took off into the darkness; leaving Achroi slumped against the wall, blood pouring from her neck. The men crowded around her and tried to stop the blood flow but they knew they were too late. The Governors daughter was dead._

_She would have been dead too if the boy, the vampyre, hadn't made one fatal mistake. He hadn't completely drained her. And little did he know that his venom had mixed with her blood causing her to change while she had been buried._

_Lying in the coffin, Achroi had been screaming, screaming for it to end, screaming for the bloody pain to end. Once she had freed herself from the coffin and accidentally killed her family in the lust for blood, she met him again. She met him again in the very same alley that had caused all this. _

_She had screamed at him, cursed at him and clawed at him all while he stood there and laughed. She had never forgiven him for what he had done to her. And now she would never be rid of him. In a desperate bid to stay alive in this new world, she had agreed to become his bounty hunter. _

_Now she was sent out all over the country to stalk and kill people that he wanted to get rid of. Now that she was working for him, she would never be free from him. Never be free from her employer, the mysterious Midir._

Now every time she saw him, it brought back memories of that fateful night. And every time she slept it brought back the memories. She'd never be free from him and she knew it. Every night she saw him, his face and those horrid fangs and eyes. It always made her scream….

Achroi sat up shaking and covered in sweat. She hated that dream, hated reliving that night in her mind. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand then reached for her water canteen. But it wasn't there. She looked wildly around her but it was nowhere to be found.

She looked across to see if Samhain had it and froze. He wasn't there. She forgot about her fear from before and became angry. She stood up quickly and sniffed. Hopefully she could catch his scent on the wind. She got lucky. She jumped onto her horse, not bothering to saddle up. She rode into the direction he was headed for. And surprisingly, he was headed in the direction of the town.

Samhains legs felt like lead and his lungs were screaming for air but he didn't stop or slow down. There was no way he was going to give up now and let her catch him. He had waited for this opportunity for so long. He had no idea where he was going, he didn't even know if he was headed in the right direction. All that he knew was that he had to keep running no matter what.

As he dodged past some trees, he heard the sound of distant hooves falling on the soft forest floor. Samhain started to panic, adrenalin flooding through him. She was after him and he bet that she wasn't happy. He continued to run even though the sound of the hooves came ever closer. He dared just one peek over his shoulder and wished he hadn't.

Achroi was on her horse and they were thundering along behind him. Achroi had a look plastered on her face that was halfway between anger and fear. He didn't know why she was scared; he was the one running for his life.

He turned around and quickened his pace even though his legs were in agony. He suddenly realised why Achroi was afraid. Looming up ahead was the stone border that surrounded Ollabandia. He had actually run in the right direction.

Now he prayed that he could make it past the borders and onto the safety of the main street where he suspected that many people had heard of her now and were expecting her.

He wondered if she knew about that and figured that she probably did. She probably knew that if he made it onto the main street she wouldn't be able to keep chasing him without risking her life.

He kept on running, his mind set on reaching the border. He could hear them behind him. They were that close that he could hear Achroi cursing loudly. He grinned and kept running.

"Samhain!" Achroi shouted. He didn't listen to her but kept running at full speed.

"Samhain!" she shouted again. Still he didn't listen.

"Samhain, if you run past that border then I'll have no choice but to kill you," Achroi shouted trying to get his attention, "if you run, then you leave me no choice. You'll have to die." Something that she had said triggered something in Samhains mind. She'd _have _to kill him if he entered the border? Wasn't she going to kill him anyway? Now he was starting to get confused.

"Samhain, if you had just stayed put you would have lived," she called again, "but now that you're running, you have to die." Samhain stopped running. Caught by surprise, Achroi thundered by but turned around just in time.

"What do you mean?" Samhain asked thoroughly confused.

"If you had just stayed in the clearing like I had said instead of trying to run away, I would have kept you alive," Achroi said as she rode back to him.

"But I thought you were going to kill me anyway," Samhain pointed out.

"I don't kill any more people than necessary," Achroi explained.

"So you weren't going to kill me?"

"No. Once I had done away with your father I would have released you and let you return to your mother and your sisters. I wouldn't have killed you. That would have been unfair. But seeing as you just escaped and are trying to get into town where people can see you, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

"I sort of understand but why do you have to kill my father?"

"I don't even know the answer to that question." Samhain stared at her in amazement.

"You don't know why you were sent here to kill my father?" he asked bewildered.

"No, I don't. I've just been told that I have to get rid of him because of something he has done and is planning to do again," Achroi explained.

"Who told you that?"

"My employer."

"And who's that?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Why not?"

"It's painful to talk about."

"But how do you know that he wasn't lying? How do you know that my father has actually done anything terrible?"

"I don't know. I just have to go by what my employer tells me."

"Have you ever disobeyed him?"

"I dare not."

Samhain stared at the strange girl in front of him. She didn't look dangerous and fierce anymore, she looked like a vulnerable and scared young girl.

"Now, are you going to come back with me or are you going to risk your life by walking into that village?" she asked, the fierceness back in place.

"If I did walk into that village, would you try to stop me?"

"No." Once again she had surprised him with a mysterious answer.

"Why not?"

"Because I'd wait until you were back with your family and you had forgotten all about me. Then I'd strike and kill you all, even you, your mother and your sisters. I'd kill you all without a seconds hesitation."

Samhain thought about it for a while. On one hand he could return to the village and be with his family and Achroi wouldn't try to stop him. But if he went back he would be putting them all in danger. He would be signing their death warrants.

But on the other hand, he could go back to the clearing with Achroi and possibly be there for a while but he wouldn't be putting his family's lives in danger. He made his decision.

He jumped onto the horse behind Achroi and held onto her waist. Achroi just grunted and started to ride off. Samhain took one last glance at the border before the thick leaves of the forest obscured it.

The ride back to clearing was silent. Neither knew what to say. Achroi was grateful that Samhain had decided to come back with her, because if he hadn't, she would have to deal with Midir's fury.

Once they had reached the clearing she thought it was best to leave Samhain to his thoughts. She watched as he sat against a tree, a blank look on his face. She didn't want to disturb him but she had to thank him.

"Samhain?" she asked tentatively. He looked up.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly.

"For what?" he asked confused.

"For saving me."

"Saving you? What are you talking about?"

"If you hadn't come back with me and I had let you get away, my employer would have been really angry. He would have been so angry that he would have come here and…and…and done things to me."

"You seem really scared of this employer person."

"I am."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I'm not ready to talk about that just yet," Achroi answered apologetically. Samhain just nodded his understanding. He figured that it would be a while before she was ready to talk about anything. She still had to explain why she was covered in blood a few days ago.

He leaned back against the tree and studied her. She had changed a lot since they had first met. She no longer looked that strange or scary. She was starting to look like a normal girl.

And she was scared of her employer. Why was she working for him if she was scared? He had a bad feeling that all the talking and screaming in her sleep had something to do with him. And he was going to find out why.


	7. Revelations

**Okay, this is chapter number 7. And it's a big one. There's a lot happening in this one and there's a bit of a fight. And there's a BIG REVELATION FROM ONE OF THE CHARACTERS! So, hold on tight coz here we go….**Chapter Six

For the next couple of days things were a bit awkward between Achroi and Samhain. Samhain desperately wanted to ask Achroi about her employer but he was afraid she'd get angry if he kept pushing the matter. He sat by the tree, feeding her horse some apples Achroi had stolen a few hours ago.

As for Achroi herself, she had disappeared again. _Not that that's unusual, _Samhain thought. Achroi had been disappearing a lot more than often now. It was almost as if she was afraid her employer would get to her if she stayed still for too long.

So he sat and waited patiently for her to return, if she returned at all. Sometimes now she would be gone for two days. And that worried Samhain. What if she had gotten into trouble? What if she hadn't gotten hurt? Or worse, gotten captured by one of the villagers. He didn't know why he was worrying about her; she wasn't anything to him but a prison guard. But still, he'd start worrying if she wasn't back soon.

Achroi slumped forward in the saddle. She was absolutely exhausted. She had been riding since dawn and she wasn't even there yet. She didn't know what he wanted from her now. She still hadn't completed her present job.

Last night, Midir had sent one of his messengers (a small black bird) to her. She had read the message it had left for her and shivered as a wave of fear swept through her. He wanted to see, to "see how she was getting along". She knew why he had sent for her. He had his spies everywhere, watching her every move.

She was going to be punished for letting Samhain escape and giving him a choice of returning to his home. But she didn't have a choice. She was taking too long to capture his father and she knew she was being unfair to Samhain for keeping him in the clearing for so long.

She felt bad about leaving him alone out there but it was all she could do for him. There was no way that she was taking him with her to the city. Midir would kill him in two seconds flat. And she couldn't let that happen, she just couldn't….

So she rode alone down the dark road towards the city that haunted her in her dreams. She was going back to Myanmalla, the city where she was born, the city where she died and was reborn again.

She hated that city; she hated what it had become. In her mind she still saw the brightly lit city, full of life. Now what she saw was a dark, gloomy place. Dark, ominous buildings looming above you, pubs and brothels lined the streets everywhere you looked. She shuddered as she rode through the town gates. She took in her surroundings. It was the same as before. Drunken men lay sprawled in the streets, harlots leaning down from the windows calling to them.

She kept her face drawn back into her hood so that no one could see her. She rode through the streets quietly, not daring to try and peek out of her hood. It hurt to see what this place had become. She rode down a side street and stopped in front of a formidable iron gate.

She gulped and tried to calm herself. _You can do this,_ Achroi told herself, _just go in there, and hear what he has to say then get out again. Simple._ But she knew that it wasn't simple. It would be much more than a meeting and conversation. He would want things from her; things that she didn't want to have to do again. Achroi took a deep breath and walked through the gate.

Samhain was starting to get worried. Achroi still hadn't come back and it was starting to get dark. He stood up and stretched his legs. He was grateful that Achroi had at least started to trust him enough to let him out of his chains. He was still confined to the clearing but it wasn't as bad any more. He walked around the clearing stretching out the kinks in his legs. Then he sat back down again and helped himself to an apple. He hoped that she would be back soon. He didn't like the forest when it became dark. It frightened him and he was worried that someone from the village would find him. He didn't know why he didn't want to be found, he just knew it would be bad news for Achroi. He had been thinking about her a lot lately. He was trying to figure out who she was and what had happened to her that had made her cruel enough to kill people. And most of all, he wanted to know why she was afraid of her employer and what he had done to her. He was fine about waiting to hear the truth but he wanted to know so he could help her, comfort her. Not that she'd let him comfort her. She was a lone wolf, like she had reminded him this morning. He was about to drift off to sleep when a twig snapping near-by caught his attention. Samhain looked to the side where the sound had come from and gasped.

"Ah, Achroi. Long time, no see."

Achroi stepped out of the shadows and stared at the person who had their back facing towards her. She felt the fear pulsating through her as she stood there, waiting for him to speak.

"Come closer, I won't bite," the person said, a mocking lilt in his voice. Achroi cautiously stepped forward but not close enough that he could grab her if he wanted to. And she knew that that was more than likely. The figure turned around to face her, a mocking grin plastered to their face.

Midir towered above her. His black, greasy hair tied in a ponytail. He wore a crimson robe over his deep brown and green tunic. His brown boots were highly polished and she could see the hilt of a dagger poking out of one.

"Ah, you seem to have grown every time I see you," Midir said then barked out a laugh. She didn't think that his little jib about ageing was funny. She knew that she couldn't age, that she would be stuck as a young youth forever.

"Ah, come now Achroi. Where's your sense of humour?"

"I lost it when you turned me," Achroi said. You could hear the venom in her voice. Midir stopped smiling and frowned.

"Why must you be like that? Don't you like being all powerful and young?"

"No."

"Hmm, you seem to have changed. What happened to the young girl who was fierce and a cold blooded killer?" Midir asked. Achroi didn't answer; she didn't want to answer.

"Now, I assume you know why I've asked you to come here?" Midir asked as he poured himself a drink.

"No, I have no idea why you have called me here," Achroi said the venom dripping from her tone.

"Well, we seem to have a little problem," Midir said as he dipped his finger into the red liquid in his goblet.

"What kind of problem?"

"Well, it seems that your plan isn't going so well."

"What plan?"

"The plan of kidnapping that idiot boy Samhaina, Samahin, Sama…"

"Samhain."

"Yes, him. It seems that he his getting in the way of things."

"No he isn't."

"Then why is he alive? Why haven't you killed him? You've killed plenty of other boys your age. What's so special about this one?"

"Nothing's special about him. I just don't see the point of killing more people than necessary. And I only killed those other boys because they were on your hit list. Samhain isn't."

"Well, he is now."

"Why?" Achroi asked aware of the hurt expression on her face.

"Because he is becoming a distraction for you and has to be eliminated. If you won't kill him, I will." Achroi just stared at him. She couldn't let Midir kill Samhain but she didn't want to appear weak.

"I'll kill him once I return," Achroi said hoping that he'll believe her.

"I'm sorry but I don't believe you. You've become weak, Achroi and it's because of that boy."

"It's not. It's got nothing to do with Samhain."

"You lie. He's getting to you Achroi and you know it. He has to be destroyed."

"I won't let you. You'll have to go through me first if you want to get to him."

"I was afraid you'd say that. I'm sorry Achroi but you leave me no choice." Midir lunged at Achroi and knocked her into a wall. She staggered as she tried to stand up but Midir was faster. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and threw her across the room. Achroi stood up and darted towards him. He lunged for her but she darted to the right and kicked him in the back of the head. Midir roared in anger and lunged at her again. But she dodged him. Every time he lunged at her she would always get out of the way in time. Which frustrated Midir even more. He wanted to know how she had become so fast and agile. No vampire in the past or present had been able to out fight him. And now some stupid little wench was beating him. It just wasn't heard of.

Samhain struggled against the ropes as he was dragged through the forest. A man from Ollabandia had been brave enough to venture into the forest in hope of finding Samhain. Now Samhain was being dragged back to the town; against his will.

He tried to free himself but it was no use. He was stuck and he was going home.

As they reached the towns border, the man untied Samhain and marched him down the main street.

As they came near Samhains house he could see his parents and sisters standing out the front. As soon as he was in sight his mother rushed towards them. She wrapped her arms around Samhains neck and cried into his shoulder. He hated seeing his mother cry but he felt resentment towards them all. He wanted to stay in the clearing and now they had put themselves in danger. Achroi wasn't back yet and he presumed that when she did arrive she'd be very angry and annoyed. Maybe even frightened.

Samhains mother led him into the house and sat him down on a chair. She placed a bowl of hot soup in front of him and ordered him to eat. He just sat there and stared at the spoon.

"Samhain, why won't you eat?" Anthea asked tentatively.

"I'm not very hungry," Samhain said, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Have you already eaten?" his mother asked.

"Yes."

"You mean that that savage girl has actually been feeding you?" his father said disbelievingly.

"Yes, and she's not a savage. She's been trying to keep me alive."

"What do you mean 'trying'?"

"She was taking a great risk by keeping me alive. If her employer found out that she was keeping someone alive, she said that he'd destroy her."

"Who's her employer?"

"I don't know but I think she's terrified of him."

"Why is she terrified of him?" Pearl asked.

"I don't know, she won't tell me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about her anymore," Anthea said matter-of-factly, "you're safe now and that's all that matters."

"I'm not safe," Samhain said, "I'm not safe anymore and neither are you."

"What do you mean?" asked his father.

"Achroi said that as long as I was with her and I didn't return here until her job was finished, I'd be safe," Samhain explained, "now that I'm here we're all in danger. She'll have to kill us all soon and if she doesn't kill us, her employer will. And I'm guessing by the way she's so frightened of him, he's a worse killer than she is."

Achroi had cuts all over her body. She had blood pouring from her mouth and from a deep gash in her forehead. She was lying slumped over on the ground, too exhausted to keep on fighting. Midir was standing over her, a wooden stake in one hand. He bent over her and placed his face near hers. She nearly threw up from the smell of his foul breath.

"Achroi, I was hoping that it'd never come to this," Midir whispered. Achroi didn't really care. She just wanted this to be over, just wanted to be free from him.

"You were such a pretty thing and very obedient. What happened?" he said grinning as he waved the stake in front of her eyes.

"And now since you have to die, you won't be able to save that idiotic boy. Pity," Midir said as he carefully positioned the stake above her unbeating heart.

"You hurt him and I'll kill you," Achroi said her voice sounding pitiful and weak.

"Silly girl, you won't be able to kill me or protect him because you will be dead."

"There will be people protecting him and his family."

"Do you really think that a few pitiful mortals will be able to stop me?"

"Yes, because you're weak and stupid," Achroi said smiling. Midir glared ate her and kicked her in the stomach.

"Poor little Samhain, all alone out there with no one to help him. Not even the little assassin can help him now," Midir crowed. At this Achroi perked up. She started to stand and readied herself for another fight. Midir stared at her in amazement.

"Do you really think that you could beat me?" Midir said watching her as she circled him.

"Yes." Midir bridled at that.

"You are nothing but a stupid, useless little wench!" he shouted. Achroi smiled.

"And you're an old codfish." Achroi lunged at him and wrapped her hands around his neck. They toppled to the floor and Achroi pounded her fists into every part of Midir she could reach. She pulled out her dagger that she had concealed in her tunic and plunged it into Midirs wrist. He roared in fury and tossed her away. As she tried to stand he grabbed her by the throat and pulled out the dagger that he had in his boot. Achroi didn't have time to try and move when he lodged the dagger into her side. She screamed out in pain and crumpled to the floor.

Even though she was badly injured and didn't have the strength to stand up she continued to fight him. Which made Midir very angry. He knelt down beside her and grabbed her by the hair.

"Why, why do you keep fighting for him when you know that you have lost?!" Midir growled into her ear. Achroi didn't answer because she wasn't sure why.

"Why?!" Midir bellowed shaking her and punching her in the face. Blood spurted everywhere and Achroi's vision started to fade.

"Why?" he growled one last time. Achroi finally knew why. It was starting to go black when she finally came up with her answer.

"Because I…I love him." Then it all faded to black.

Did you like that little revelation? Coz I did. I don't know what possessed me to write that but I guess it sort of fits in with her weird behaviour. Okay, I need suggestions for what is going to happen in the next chapter. Got any? If you do please let me know.

Oh, another thing. I've written another story called "Eternity". If you could check it out and let me know if it's good or not that would be appreciated. Oh, and check out my friend DeSlashers stories. They rock!

Peace out, humans.


	8. The Unmentionable Thing

**So sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been running out of ideas for new chapters. This one gives you some info on that " too horrible to mention" thing that Samhain's father did. Enjoy!**Chapter Seven

Samhain sat at his bedroom window looking out across at the sunset. He hadn't heard from Achroi for almost a week now and it was worrying him. He was contemplating sneaking out and trying to find her but he didn't count on his luck to help him. He pulled himself back into his room and walked down into the kitchen. His mother and father were sitting at the kitchen table deciding on whether they should move towns again or not. Samhain had already told them that it was no use in moving again because Achroi or her employer would find them again any way. Samhain sat at the table, calmly listening. Then his ears pricked up when his father mentioned something interesting.

"I haven't seen my business partner, Oran, for some time now. I wonder what has happened to him," Samhain's father said scratching his beard.

"Does he usually wear a long cloak and is he short and stumpy with grey hair?" Samhain asked quickly.

"Yes. How did you know that?" his father asked.

"He's dead," Samhain said.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because Achroi killed him," Samhain answered. He wasn't sure if he was right or not but he had a deep feeling that he was.

"I had a feeling that she had gotten to him. Annoying little wench. She's done nothing but cause trouble for us. And we haven't even done anything," Samhains father said.

"Apparently you have done something," Samhain said toying with the tablecloth.

"Whatever do you mean?" Anthea asked, "We haven't done anything except try to live our lives."

"Well Achroi said that Father had done something horrible, too horrible to mention," Samhain answered cautiously, wary of his fathers reaction.

"I haven't done anything," Samhains father said defensively, "unless…."

"Unless what?" Anthea and Samhain said at the same time.

"I'm not sure but I think that this Achroi is referring to something I did a few years ago," Samhains father said scratching at his beard, " You were just an infant, Samhain, I don't think that you'd remember."

"What are you talking about Emmanuel?" Anthea asked confused.

"Do you remember when we lived back in Kallerstone and I said that I had discovered something quite frightful?" Emmanuel said.

"Yes, you came home dripping wet and said that you had found something that was quite disturbing and a threat to the human race," Anthea said rubbing her temples, "then you organised a meeting at the Town Hall for all the people to attend."

"Yes, yes, and do you remember what I told the townspeople?" Emmanuel said gesturing for her to go on.

"Yes, you said…. you said that the mythical creature called a "vampyre" existed," Anthea said quietly.

"Yes, I told them that vampyres are very real and there were some living among us, pretending to be normal," Emmanuel said as he stared out the window.

"What happened then?" Samhain asked.

"They laughed at me," Emmanuel answered as he turned to face his son, "they laughed at me and called me a mad old fool."

"And then the following night we had a visitor," Anthea said, "a strange mysterious visitor who said his name was…oh, I can't remember."

"He said his name was Midir, and that he was an Elder Vampyre," Emmanuel said, "I didn't believe him at first until I saw his chalk white skin and red-rimmed eyes. He warned me that if I ever told anyone about vampyres or I tried another "stunt" like that, as he had said, that I would be putting my life and my family's life in danger. He said he would destroy us one by one, starting with you, Samhain."

"What did you do after that?" Samhain asked.

"I stayed quiet, as instructed. I even sought mental help just to keep the townsfolk happy and unsuspecting," Emmanuel said quietly, "then a few years later I had another encounter with a vampyre. It tried to kill me and I thought to myself that I wasn't staying quiet any longer. The people had a right to be warned again, even if they didn't believe and thought me an old mad fool."

"I remember that," Samhain said, "you organised a meeting but I didn't know what for. You wouldn't let me attend, why not?"

"Because I knew that this Midir character would be watching and would try to take a shot at you, like he took a shot at me."

"What do you mean?" Samhain asked.

"As I was talking to the people and about to tell them about the danger once again, an arrow shot out of nowhere. It narrowly missed me but I knew that it was just a taste of what was to come. So I had us move towns to try and escape but it seems that the danger has followed us here."

"So that's why we moved," Samhain whispered.

"Yes, and you can choose to believe what you want but these creatures exist," Emmanuel said, "they are real and they are very dangerous. They are raised to be cold-blooded killers. And…and I believe that this Achroi is one of these creatures."

"How can you say that?" Samhain said, "You don't know her."

"Then why did she kidnap you? Why did she kill my protectors? Why did she try to kill me? Why did she drink one of my protectors blood?"

"That explains why she was covered in blood," Samhain muttered.

"What was that?" Anthea asked.

"Nothing," Samhain muttered again.

"So, why did she do all those things if she isn't one of those creatures?" Emmanuel asked. Samhain couldn't come up with an answer. The facts were all there. Achroi was a vampyre, a cold-blooded killer.

"I believe she was sent here to shut me up for good," Emmanuel continued, "They can't have someone running around mouthing off and saying that they're real, can they? They have to remain a secret, a myth. And I almost ruined it for them. Would have ruined it, too, if those damned villagers had of listened to me."

"So they were nearly uncovered because of you," Samhain said.

"Yes, and now I have to be dealt with," Emmanuel concluded.

"If this Achroi is as good as you say, and she was trying to protect you, why hasn't she come to get you? Why hasn't she come to save you?" Pearl asked.

"I don't know," Samhain answered, "the last time I saw her was in the clearing a few days ago. Then she left. She said she had to deal with something in a near-by city. That was the last time I'd heard from her."

"Do you think she might be in trouble?" Anthea asked.

"I don't know, she might be," Samhain said shuddering at the thought of Achroi being in trouble, or worse, hurt, " what's the nearest city?"

"Uh, that would be Myanmalla. It's a dirty, dark and dank city, not a very nice place to live in," Anthea said.

"Yes, but remember that a long time ago it used to be a wonderful city," Emmanuel said, "All bright and full of life. But that's only what I've been told or heard; I never saw what it used to be like. I didn't even exist at the time."

"I think that's where she might be," Samhain said, "I think that's where her employer is as well. If it's a dirty, dark and dank city, it would be the perfect place for these vampyres to call home."

"Do you think this employer fellow might have gotten to her?" Emmanuel asked.

"I hope not. God, I hope not," Samhain answered sadly.

**So how did you like that one? I need an idea for what should happen in the next chapter, otherwise I won't be able to update any time soon. So, read and review, peoples.**


	9. Experiments

**Hello all. Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been struggling to finish this chapter off, so sorry if the end sucks. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewers: HeartlessFallenAngel and DeSlasher. Without you guys, I would've never continued this story. So, enjoy!** Chapter Eight

Achroi came to with her head throbbing. She groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around. It looked like she was in some kind of dungeon, all the walls were made of stone and there were no windows. There was only one door. It was made out of steel and obviously locked.

Achroi sat up then opted to lie back down again when her head started to spin. Remembering the deep gash that was across her forehead, Achroi lifted her arm then froze completely. Tiny tubes were sticking into her arms and she realised that there was a gigantic one inserted into her stomach. Achroi looked around and noticed that all the tubes were connected to monitors and the monitors were connected to something that looked a lot like a control board.

Achroi sat up again, this time slowly so that she wasn't hit with a wave of nausea, and studied her surroundings more carefully. The control board was against the wall to her left, a cupboard filled with only God knows what was on the wall to her right along with other little do-hickeys and gadgets. And there was a rack of things that looked like white coats. The bed she was lying on was situated in the middle of the room and there was a strange light above her. Realisation finally dawned. She was in some kind of _laboratory._

Samhain quietly tiptoed down the hall past his parent's bedroom. He hadn't heard anything from Achroi in over a week now and he was getting slightly agitated. He walked down the stairs as quietly as he could and walked out the front door. He saddled his horse then readied himself. On the way out, he had taken a map of Myanmalla from the kitchen table.

He and his family had been trying to find possible locations where Achroi might be. So far there were only three places that were most likely: the old warehouses at the edge of the town, the main street where a few inns were or the old château that was situated high on top of a cliff. He decided that he would just try to get as close to Myanmalla as possible before the sun rose because when it did, there would be search parties everywhere looking for him.

Samhain jumped onto his horse and sped towards the sleeping town of Ollabandia. He thundered past the towns border and straight into the Evannha Forest. He headed, well tried to, for the clearing where he had stayed with Achroi. There might be a slight chance that she had returned and was waiting for the right moment to go back into town and get him. But it was highly unlikely.

Amazingly he managed to find the small clearing but Achroi was nowhere in sight. It looked exactly like it did a week ago when he had been kidnapped a second time. He jumped off of his horse then sat down by "his" tree. He pulled out the map that he had taken and studied it. He had to head north first then go east. Seemed simple enough. He climbed back onto his horse then took off again, praying that Achroi was alive and well.

Achroi was still staring at the laboratory when the steel door opened. In walked Midir and a couple of his cronies. One of them walked over to one of the monitors that were hooked up to Achroi. He then turned to look at her and jumped. _Obviously didn't realise that I was awake, _Achroi thought as she stared coldly at the man. He quickly walked over to the control board and pushed some buttons then turned to Midir and nodded.

"Ah, glad to see you're awake, Achroi," Midir said as he walked over to her.

"How're you feeling?" Midir asked mockingly as he touched her forehead. Achroi hissed in pain then spat at Midir. Midir just looked at her as he wiped the spit from his face only to be spat at again. This time it hit him in the eye.

"Now now, Achroi. Don't start being nasty," Midir said as he walked over to stand by the man at the control board.

"What is this place and what are you doing to me?" Achroi asked.

"This place is my own personal lab where I conduct little…._ experiments_," Midir said smiling evilly.

"What kind of experiments?" Achroi asked suspiciously eyeing the tubes stuck in her.

"Oh, this and that. But you, my dear, are my biggest experiment yet," Midir said watching her.

"YOU'RE EXPERIMENTING ON ME?!" Achroi shrieked.

"Why yes, of course, "Midir said, "Why else would you be hooked up to these monitors?"

"What kind of experiment?" Achroi asked momentarily panicking.

"It's an experiment I've been wanting to try for years. All my other subjects didn't suffice because they lacked certain qualities."

"And what "qualities" were they?"

"They weren't of the female gender."

"What??"

"I'm sure you heard me quite well, but I said that they weren't _female_."

"And the hell has this got to do with me?"

"Haven't you noticed the fact that you're a female?"

"Yes, I'm not an idiot like you," Achroi spat, "but what are you planning to do with this 'female'?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Midir said, "restrain her!" Achroi struggled as Midirs cronies tried to tie her down to the bed. They tied her down but not after receiving several nasty bites.

"What are you going to do?" Achroi asked her voice sounding shrill from all the panic that was welling up inside her.

"Just inject you with something," a crony said pulling out a very large needle and jabbing it into her arm.

"What something?" Achroi asked as she started to feel dizzy and sick.

"Just something to put you to sleep at first," he answered.

"Then what?" she asked her words becoming slurred.

"Oh, you'll see when you wake up…if you wake up."

Samhain was exhausted. He had travelled all night and the sun was only just starting to rise. He wasn't even halfway there yet. He still had four days ride left. He wondered how Achroi had gotten there so fast but then he remembered that she might be a vampyre and could possibly ride very fast.

He slumped forwards in the saddle and urged his horse on. His parents would be awake by now and his mother would be having a panic-attack. He hoped that they hadn't clued on already as to where he was going. Samhain trudged on wearily, only stopping shortly for some food or water. It would still be a while until he reached Myanmalla.

Samhain rode all day without being disturbed by any search parties. As dusk fell, Samhain came to a small village, smaller than Ollabandia. He sludged slowly through the town, looking for any sign of a small inn.

He finally found one nestled in between two old buildings. He clambered down from his horse and handed him over to the stable hand. Samhain entered the inn and requested a room for the night.

The innkeeper led him up the stairs to a small but comfortable looking room. Samhain walked quickly over to the bed, stripped and settled beneath the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

Well, what did you think? I know the end was pretty bad but I couldn't think of anything else. I have an idea of what's going to happen to Achroi, but I want to hear what you think should happen to her. Maybe I'll have a suggestion that's better than mine! Thanks again. 

**Au revoir! **


	10. Here lies

**Okay everyone. Here is chapter nine. I'm sorry it took a while to update, I ran out of ideas then I had a brain wave. So, enjoy!** Chapter Nine

Samhain woke as sunlight filtered through the window. He blinked several times then realised that he had over slept. He jumped up and quickly dressed then ran downstairs into the inns common room. He thanked the innkeeper then rushed outside. Thankfully his horse was ready for him when he reached the stable. He saddled up then rode off out of the town. He was panicking because he had slept so late and who knew what could have happened to Achroi in that time. He rode swiftly down the small road, occasionally passing some travellers. He stopped briefly to study the map and took off again. He didn't know whether anyone was looking for him or not but he wasn't going to slow down to find out. He passed several other small towns on his way to the city but didn't bother stopping. He was on a mission and nothing was going to prevent him from finishing it.

Achroi woke once again with her head throbbing. But this time it wasn't just her head that was hurting. She had a bad pain in the stomach and felt very sick. She stared up at the ceiling and realised that the light wasn't on. In fact, the entire room was pitch black. She adjusted her eyes to the darkness and looked around. Nothing had changed. There were still bits and pieces everywhere and the control board was still there. The monitors were flashing and making funny noises. Achroi lay back down and held her head. She felt really sick and her head was killing her. She tried closing her eyes to see if the pain would leave but it didn't.

She was about to go mad from the pain when the steel door opened. In walked the same man from before, the one who had injected something into her. He flicked on the light and she hissed as the light hurt her eyes. He heard the hiss and turned to look at her in amazement.

"What?" Achroi said scathingly, "Amazed that I'm still here, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," the man said as he walked over to examine her, "I'm very surprised indeed to see that you have woken up."

"Why?"

"We've never done this experiment before and I'm quite surprised that we have successfully performed the first stage."

"First stage?" Achroi said weakly, "You mean there's more?"

"Yes, a lot more," the man answered, "but for now, you must go back to sleep." And he injected something once more into her arm.

Samhain slumped in the saddle and tried to keep his eyes open. He had been riding all day and for half the night. It was well past midnight but he didn't stop. He didn't _want_ to stop. He had to keep going, he just had to. Achroi was probably in a lot of trouble and was probably terrified, although she wouldn't admit that fact to him. She'd stay strong and defiant on the outside but wither on the inside out of fear. He kept riding down the narrow, winding road. He told himself that he'd stop at the next town but he had no idea where the next town was. So he rode and rode. The only person he passed was this strange old lady who was sitting on the side of the road muttering incomprehensible things. Samhain was about to give up and settle for the side of the road to sleep when small bright lights appeared up ahead. He had finally reached a town.

The pain was now worse than ever. Achroi didn't want to open her eyes but her stomach was making her double over in sheer agony. It hurt so much! Something was happening to her body and she wasn't sure what. She was absolutely terrified because she felt like she was being ripped apart at the seems. She was screaming when the same man from before walked into the lab.

"Still alive," he muttered, "amazing." He took out a smaller needle and injected it into her arm. The pain started to ebb away and she was starting to feel slightly relaxed.

"This is absolutely amazing," the man remarked.

"How is it amazing?" Achroi croaked. Her throat was parched dry.

"I've never seen anything like this. Your body is adapting quite well to this sudden change and you don't seem to have any side effects."

"The constant pain isn't a side effect?" Achroi said trying to sound sarcastic but failed miserably.

"Well, pain is expected with this kind of thing," he said tentatively, "Surely you expected some sort of pain?"

"Yes and no," Achroi replied weakly.

"Well, I'm just going to give you this last needle and it should all be over once you wake up again," the man said producing a much larger needle than before and jabbing it into her stomach this time.

"What if I don't wake up this time?" Achroi asked panicking momentarily.

"Oh, with the rate you're going you'll definitely wake up." Achroi just nodded weakly and laid her head on the pillow.

"Oh, and you can expect some changes to your body when you wake up," the man said before he left.

"What kind of changes?" Achroi managed to ask.

"Major, life altering changes."

She didn't like the sound of that.

Anthea was having a panic attack. She knew she should have left some servants stationed at Samhains door. Her only son had run away to try and find that girl. Who knew where he was or what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into? Emmanuel had organised several search parties but none so far had found her precious boy. She was beginning to worry she'll never see him again when Emmanuel walked in the front door.

"I've decided to send some search parties out to Myanmalla. It's the only rational place where he'd go," Emmanuel announced as he sat down at the dinner table.

"But what if he isn't there? What if he has been captured by some rogue highwaymen?" Anthea asked ringing her hands.

"Samhain's a smart boy, Anthea. He'll know to stay off small, deserted roads. And don't worry, we'll find him soon enough."

Samhain had finally reached the borders of Myanmalla. He was passing the stone border when someone on a white horse flew by him. Samhain stared at the galloping figures for a while then turned his attention back to the city of Myanmalla. His parents were right. It was a dirty, dark city and he didn't wish to be stuck there for very long. He slowly and cautiously proceeded through the town, stopping every now and then to ask some passer by if he or she had seen a young girl around. Every time he stopped to describe Achroi, the person he was talking to would look at him as if he were mad. Samhain was puzzled about this. Hadn't Achroi come here? Had she gone elsewhere?

Samhain was about to give up and go back when someone gestured to him. He walked over to the old man who had waved at him.

"I've heard ye asking for a young girl with grey eyes and long, ebony hair," the old man whispered.

"Yes, do you know her?" Samhain asked his spirits finally lifting.

"Yes, I know her. But I haven't seen her round these parts for some time now. And there's a good reason behind that, too."

"What reason? Can you take me to her?"

"Aye, I can. But you must tell me her name first, just so I can be sure."

"Her name's Achroi."

"Aye, I know her. Everyone knows her."

"Really? Well then you can take me to her, right?"

"Yes, I'll take ye to her." Samhain followed the old man through the city out to the edge. They were walking towards a graveyard. The old man led Samhain through rows and rows of graves before he stopped in front of an old white marble head stone.

"Why have you taken me to a graveyard?" Samhain asked, annoyed.

"You asked me to take you to Achroi, and I have," the old man said as he pointed to the stone. Samhain gasped as he read the inscription:

Here lies

_Achroi Geallian_

_1321-1336_

_Killed mercilessly at the age of fifteen_

_Beloved by all and sorely missed_

The man looked at Samhains astonished face.

"What, surely ye knew she was dead? She's been dead for about 108 years, me boy. Died so young, poor thing. Murdered at the age of fifteen. Nobody knows who done it."

Well, at least now he knew why people were looking at him strangely. Achroi was dead and had been for some time now. Samhain just continued to stare at the stone while bits of what the man had said flitted through his mind…_dead for 108 years…fifteen years old._ It was all very sad and astonishing but one particular word stood out for Samhain: _murdered._

Well, what did ya think? The grave proves Emmanuel's theory of Achroi being the living dead. Anyway, it's a bit rushed because I was so excited to be writing again. Anyway again, does anyone have any idea of what you think might be happening to Achroi? I'd like to hear what you think so just review, okay?

**Bye…**


	11. Not an IT

**Well, I'm sorry if I took a while to update. I've been busy with homework and what not. Anyway, this is a bit of a long chapter because I had a lot of things happening. Oh, and I put those break line things in this time because it might be a bit confusing without them. So, enjoy.** Chapter Ten

Samhain was numb as he walked through the streets. He sort of already knew that Achroi was dead, but the grave had proved it once and for all. He was all right with the fact that she was dead, but there was one thing that was niggling at his mind. How had she been murdered? And why hadn't she told him? Was it her employer who had killed her? Was that why she was so afraid of him?

Samhain continued to walk around. He had already checked most of the warehouses and the inns. He was deliberately avoiding the château for now because the old man had said that that was where Achroi had once lived. Apparently shortly after Achroi had been killed, her family was also murdered.

They say there were all these weird markings on their necks but no one knew what they were. Samhain had a feeling that they were bite marks. But who had killed her family? Had Achroi killed them in her first days of being a vampyre or had her employer killed them so Achroi could never see them again?

Samhain finally gave up his pondering and set off for the old château. He trudged slowly up the hill and stood before a formidable iron gate. He slowly pushed it open and walked up to the front door. It was old and ruined and was definitely falling apart. How long had it been since anybody had lived here?

He'd heard that no one had lived here since the Geallian family had been brutally murdered. They all considered the house to be cursed. Samhain carefully entered the old house and looked around. It was dirty and worn and dust completely covered everything. Old furniture was overturned; burnt old wood was still in the fireplace. The place was in absolute shambles.

He walked up the stairs, careful not to fall through any loose floorboards. He walked through the passageway and looked into all the old rooms. Furniture and pictures were scattered everywhere. Tattered old clothes lay all over the floors and there were rat droppings everywhere. Samhain walked into one of the small rooms. Inside there was a double bed, the duvet all tattered and ripped.

A small dresser stood opposite the bed covered in dust and smashed little trinkets. He walked over and picked up a small, cracked hand mirror. He examined it then set it back down again. He was about to leave the room again when he heard a small crack come from underneath his feet. Samhain looked down and saw a small photo frame lying cracked and dirty on the floor. He picked it up and blew the dust from it.

In the frame was a black and white picture of Achroi. She was wearing a dress and was smiling.

Samhain felt his stomach tie up into little knots and at the thought of Achroi. He seriously hoped that she was all right. Samhain walked back down the stairs and was about to leave when he heard this gut-wrenching scream.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Achroi woke up again but this time her head wasn't throbbing. In place of her head, her stomach was hurting. She tried to roll over but hissed in pain as her stomach hurt. She closed her eyes and moaned as a wave of nausea crossed over. She wiped her clammy hands on the white smock she was wearing and licked her lips. Why was she in so much pain?

And why did it feel like something was kicking her in the stomach? But the kicking felt like it was coming from the _inside_ not the outside.

She tried to raise her head and look at her stomach but she was so weak that she just let it flop back against the pillow. Achroi lay there panting and sweating as the pain become worse. It felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside and she couldn't stand it. All of a sudden there was this great pain and she screamed in agony.

The steel door burst open and the man from before rushed in. He appeared at her side in an instant, concern etching his features. He checked her pulse and placed his hand on her stomach. Another pain pierced her stomach and she hissed. The mans eyes widened and turned to meet hers.

"What's going on?" Achroi whimpered. The man just looked at her with the same concern in his eyes. He walked over to the control board and pushed a red button. An alarm sounded that hurt her ears. Then all these cronies rushed into the room and assembled around Achroi who just looked at them all warily.

"What's going on?" she asked again. The man just shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet. He pulled out another needle and jabbed it into her arm.

"You," the man barked to another crony, "get everything ready. We need to operate now or we'll lose them both." The crony nodded and hurried over to the cupboard.

"Both?" Achroi asked confused, "what do you mean 'lose them _both_'?" The man just looked at her then said, "My dear girl, you are pregnant." Achroi stared at him wide-eyed then struggled to look at her stomach. It was bulgy, round and huge. Achroi screamed bloody murder.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samhain turned to face the direction in which the scream had come from. More screams had followed the first but for now it was quiet again. He didn't know whether someone was in the house with him and had gotten hurt or if it was an angry ghost. Samhain hesitated before walking back down the corridor listening intently for any more screams or some sound that would give away the location of where the screams had come from.

There were two more blood curdling screams and Samhain all but run down the hall. Another scream came and Samhain halted in front of a door. This door wasn't old and ruined like all the others; it looked brand new as if it had recently been placed there. He pushed gently against the door until it opened revealing a long, brightly lit corridor.

Samhain cautiously proceeded stopping every now and then to peer into a room that led off of the corridor. Another scream came and Samhain quickened his pace. He rounded a corner and nearly smacked face first into a steel door. He stopped abruptly and stared at the door. Why would there be a steel door here? Was it concealing something very important?

While Samhain was pondering, another scream erupted. The screams were coming from behind the steel door. Samhain didn't know whether he should open the door and check inside or if he should leave and come back with help. He made his decision when he heard a voice say from behind the door "Achroi! You must keep still otherwise you will die!"

Achroi was in that room and by the sounds of it she was in a lot of pain. Was somebody torturing her? What was going on? Samhain wasn't going to wait any longer to find out. He pushed the steel door open and burst into the room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Achroi screamed again as more pain swept across her body. What the hell was going on? And how the fuck had she become pregnant? What kind of sick, twisted game was Midir playing? There was a loud crack and Achroi screamed again. Something had just broken inside of her. She was screaming and crying and kept struggling against the cronies tight grips.

"Achroi! You must keep still otherwise you will die!" the man screamed at her.

"I don't care!" Achroi screamed back, "I want this to end! I don't want to be pregnant! I don't want a child!"

"Well, I'm sorry but this was not my idea. It was Midirs. Now, please keep still. We need you to survive this," the man pleaded. Achroi just looked at him as more tears streamed down her face. How had she gotten herself into this? Why wouldn't they just let her die so the bloody pain would end?

"Now Achroi, I need you to keep absolutely still while I make this incision," the man said. Achroi just nodded and tried to do as she was told.

"Why do you need to make an incision?" Achroi asked.

"We need to get the baby out now otherwise it will kill you."

"That's nice. I've got something inside me that's going to kill me." The man just smiled grimly and pulled a sharp knife across her stomach. She closed her eyes as he did some more cuts. Something kicked her and she screamed.

"It's a feisty thing," the man commented, "it's nearly completely destroyed your insides."

"JUST SHUT UP AND GET THAT BLOODY THING OUT OF ME!" Achroi screamed as she writhed in pain. Somebody put a screen up in front of her so she couldn't see what was going on. Sure, she couldn't see what was going on but she could sure as hell feel it. And it _hurt._ She felt more pain then nothing. No pain, no nothing; just a blank numb feeling. Achroi looked wildly around, wondering what was going on. Then she heard the weirdest thing, a baby crying. Holy shit, she had just had a baby. She just stared at the screen and let her eyesight fade then jolted when the steel door flew open and all the cronies started yelling. They were yelling but what ever had just entered the room, they didn't bother to stop.

Achroi was just starting to let the blackness consume her when she saw Samhains horrified face staring down at her. Then it was black.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samhain looked wildly around. He had just entered some sort of laboratory. There was cupboards and do-hickeys across one wall, a large control board stood next to an operating table in the middle of the room. Lots of people were standing around the table holding bloody tools and bewildered expressions on their faces. One man held a wailing baby in his arms.

Then they all turned to look at him and started yelling. Samhain didn't care if they tried to hurt him he just needed to see what was laying on that operating table, or worse, _who_ was lying on that table. He hurried forwards and to his surprise, nobody bothered to try and stop him.

He stopped at the edge of the table and looked down. Samhain nearly screamed. Achroi was lying there all sweaty and dishevelled. She was all pale and clammy and looked like she was about to die. Her eyes flickered to his then they closed. Samhain whirled around and pointed a finger at the man who was holding the baby.

"What the hell is going on here?" Samhain shouted.

"Your young friend here just gave birth," the man stated matter of factly.

"Gave birth?" Samhain repeated starting to feel faint and dizzy.

"Yes, she just gave birth."

"How was she even pregnant in the first place? And don't lie to me, I know all about the circle of life."

"Well in a nutshell, Midir sent for Achroi and she arrived. They talked then fought, and Midir knocked Achroi unconscious. We were then assigned to experiment on her; that experiment consisted of injecting her with a newly discovered drug that can make female vampyres become pregnant. And it has worked…sort of."

"Sort of?" Samhain said worriedly, "What do you mean 'sort of'?"

"Well, there were a few minor set backs. The baby, being a vampyre and all, started to try and kill Achroi from the inside. It had reached its full maturity in the womb and wanted out. We didn't realise that when a baby vampyre, created in the womb, started to kill its mother when it was ready to come out. Achroi was lucky that I had heard her screaming, otherwise she wouldn't be with us right now."

"Well, uh, I don't think she _is_ with us right now. She kind of fainted, I think," Samhain said looking at Achroi. The man frowned at this piece of information. He handed the baby to Samhain then studied Achroi.

Samhain looked down at the little vampyre. It had the same grey eyes as Achroi. Samhain smiled at the little child. It smiled back.

"We'll need to keep a close eye on her in the next couple of days, " the man said taking the baby back from Samhain, "she's in a very unstable condition. I'm surprised her body actually managed to cope with the radical change it had to undertake." Samhain just nodded weakly and sank to his knees. It was just too much to take in all at once. Achroi was being experimented on. She had just had a baby. How had he let this happen to her? Samhain hung his head. It was just too much.

The other men in the room picked up Achroi and carried her out of the room. Samhain watched them then turned to the man.

"Where are they taking her?" he asked.

"They're taking her to a more comfortable room," he answered, "she needs rest if she is to recover."

"And the child? What are you going to do with it?"

"It's not an "it", it's a girl."

"A girl? What is her name, then?"

"I wouldn't know. Naming the child will be up to Achroi."

"You still haven't answered my first question," Samhain pointed out, "what is going to happen with the child?"

"Well," the man said thoughtfully, " I am meant to hand the child over to Midir, so he can raise it and use it as a weapon against Achroi but…."

"But what?"

"I think I'm going to give the child to Achroi. A mother's bond with her child is something that shouldn't be tampered with. And I don't want to see Midir destroy the child."

"Who's Midir?" Samhain asked. He'd heard that name somewhere before.

"Midir is Achroi's employer. He is the one who turned her into a vampyre," the man answered. Finally Samhain knew who Achrois employer was. He wanted more information but decided it would be best to ask Achroi herself because she would be able to add more.

"Did you want to rest as well?" the man asked, "you look a bit peaky."

"Yes, thank-you," Samhain said standing up. Samhain followed after the man, occasionally glancing at the baby in his arms.

Okay, so what did you think? I've planned on Achroi becoming pregnant ever since I began this story. And no, I have no idea who the father is. Basically the child is a test-tube baby. And I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes that I made because I was very excited with this chapter and was typing really, really fast. So, I hope you enjoyed it and please, please review!!!!!

**I won't update until I reach my goal of 15 reviews. I've got 13 so far so just two more and I'll update faster for you.**

**Thank-a-you**

**Bye bye**


	12. Merean

**Okay, here is the next chapter. I gave up on my goal for 15 reviews and just wrote the next chapter. I was bored and had an idea in my head so I decided to write. I'm probably going to go and write the next chapter right now. Anyways, sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. Enjoy!** Chapter Eleven

Samhain sat by the bed staring at the sleeping Achroi. She was starting to look better, the colour was starting to come back to her cheeks but she was still very ill, according to the doctor. They had been locked in this room for three days. It wasn't as bad as the lab, but it wasn't much better. Achroi occupied the only bed, so Samhain had to sleep on the floor.

Against a stonewall there was a small dresser and the baby's cot was against the other. The little girl was asleep right now, but Samhain knew that she would be awake soon; it was nearly her dinnertime. Samhain was shocked to see that the child preferred to drink blood than milk. But then again, the child was a vampyre, just like her mother.

Samhain was still trying desperately to get his head around the fact that Achroi now had a little girl to look after. How was she going to cope? She could barely manage to look after herself let alone a small new born. He slipped off the bed and went and stood at the edge of the cot.

He looked down on the sleeping child and ran his hand over its small head. Just then the door to the room opened and the doctor from before walked in, holding a small bottle containing a deep red liquid. Samhains stomach recoiled in disgust.

The doctor nodded to Samhain then picked up the baby. Her grey eyes fluttered open. Her eyes swept across the room then settled on the bottle. She smiled and reached out, ready for her evening meal. She gurgled happily as the doctor lowered the teat to her lips. Samhain looked away, he couldn't bear the sight of someone as young as that drinking blood; it just wasn't normal.

Once the baby girl had finished her bottle, the doctor set her back in her cot and turned to Samhain.

"Once Achroi is awake and well, you will leave," he said.

"Why do I have to leave?" Samhain asked.

"Not just you, fool," the doctor said, "you will be taking Achroi and her chid with you."

"Why are you helping us?" Samhain asked slightly confused and suspicious.

"I've worked for Midir for twelve years; twelve long and lonely years. I've spent those twelve years conducting experiments, some much more dangerous than the one I performed on Achroi," the doctor explained, "I haven't seen my family since then. I missed seeing my children grow up, get married. I decided to work here, thinking that money would help my family survive in this world. And it did, for a while. Then I was cut off from them. For everything I've done for Midir I have never received a single thank-you. So, I'm going to take a stand against him and go behind his back by letting you and Achroi escape. I need to be able to see my family again and the only way I can achieve that is to be fired from this job."

"Wow," Samhain said softly, "what's your name?"

"Why do you ask?" the man asked surprised.

"I'd like to know so that I can go and see your family and tell them that you will be coming home soon."

"I would appreciate that," the man said, "my name is Casper Dervain."

"Thank-you, Casper," Samhain said, "thank-you for everything." Casper just smiled.

"He WHAT?!" Midir barked at the cowering man before him. Midir had just been informed that one of his top scientists, Casper Dervain, has planned to go behind his back and not follow orders. _How dare he think that he can just give that child to Achroi?_ Midir thought. _She'd never cope with it; she'd kill it in just two days._

"Does he realise that that child is very important to me and my research?" Midir asked.

"Yes, sir. That is why he is going behind your back. He doesn't want you to destroy the child, sir. He thinks that it'd be better off with its mother," the shaking man answered, afraid to look up at Midir.

"Better off with its mother?" Midir cackled, "Why, Achroi would never be a good mother. Do you think a child would want an assassin for a mother?"

"No sir," the man answered timidly.

"How does Casper think that he is going to get Achroi, the baby and that whelp out of here unnoticed?" Midir asked.

"Well, sir. Casper thought that with your absence at the birth, that you might still not be around?"

"Fool," Midir barked, "of course I'd be back. I'm not going to let that child go unguarded for a second. No matter what happens."

"Of course, sir."

"Now Tibble, I want you to go to the room they are staying in and keep a close eye on them. If there is any more suspicious behaviour or talk, notify me immediately. Meanwhile, I have something important to deal with. GO!" The man scurried off.

Midir paced up and down the hall. How could this have happened? Did those pathetic mortals actually believe that they could bring him down? He, the mysterious Midir? It was all absolutely absurd. That mad man, Emmanuel, who had discovered the existence of vampyres a few years ago, has finally snapped.

He was seen on the streets of Ollabandia by one of his spies raving about vampyres and saying how they were real and how they had kidnapped his son. And those stupid mortals actually _believed him_. It must have been Achroi. They must have seen her kidnap the boy or try to attack Emmanuel.

Either way, it was some mad wench who had confirmed Emmanuel's theory. Apparently she had seen a girl, one who looked exactly like the one Emmanuel described, attack a bodyguard and drink his blood. Then the girl had turned her feral crimson eyes on her and advanced.

All the villagers had riled at this and were now shouting out for a rebellion. One man had shouted that it was time for them to hunt down these "vile creatures" and eliminate them once and for all. Everybody had agreed. Now they were coming here, to Myanmalla, in hopes of finding some vampyres and killing them. _Not going to happen_, Midir thought, _I'm not going to let a bunch of mortals destroy my plans. They must be destroyed._

So Midir had summoned most of the strongest vampyres and informed them of the mortals plan. They were not happy about it and had agreed to fight. They had organised for the newest made vampyres to go out and hunt of a night in the open streets, as bait for the gullible humans. Then the real fight would begin. It would all take place at sundown on the fourth day of the fifth month. Just three weeks away, when the mortals thought that they were winning and were becoming hot headed. Then they will be slaughtered.

Achroi groaned then opened her eyes. She looked around the room then sat up slowly. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She felt like crap and her stomach was still aching a bit. Studying the room she saw a rug on the floor, a small dresser against a stonewall and…a baby cot against the other wall. Achroi's eyes widened as she remembered that she was now a mother.

She quickly jumped off of the bed and tripped. She cursed all the way down then turned to see what she had tripped on. Samhain was lying there staring at her wide-eyed. She returned the stare than broke into a huge toothy smile and flung her arms around his neck. She was so glad to see him. He had actually come after her even though he was putting his life in danger.

She pulled away and they both smiled. Achroi stood up then walked over to the cot. She peered down tentatively then smiled. The baby was staring up at her with big grey eyes and a smile planted on its face. Achroi reached in and carefully picked up the child and cuddled it in her arms. She nuzzled her face close and kissed its forehead.

"What are you going to name her?" Samhain asked smiling at them both.

"Her? It's a girl?" Achroi asked looking up.

"Yes," Samhain answered. Achroi looked back down, chewing on her lip as she thought.

"I'm going to name her Merean, after my grand-mother," Achroi said smiling at the baby and kissing her nose.

"Merean," Samhain said rolling the name over his tongue, "strange name."

"Well, Samhain's a strange name," Achroi shot back smiling. It was the same thing she had said to him when they first met.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Samhain stated, remembering the time when she had returned to the clearing covered in blood.

"I know," Achroi said, "I'll explain everything once we get out of here."

"Which will be any minute now," Casper said as he hurried into the room.

"My dear, you are now healthy enough to leave," Casper said grasping Achroi's shoulders, "you must leave quickly while there is no one here guarding you. You must take the child and leave, you must get as far away from here as possible or Midir will kill you." Achroi just looked at Samhain and he nodded. Achroi wrapped Merean in a blanket and huddled her close. As they left the room their "guard", Tibble, tried to stop them but Casper knocked him unconscious with a candelabra. They stared at Tibble then silently followed Casper down the hall. As they neared a wooden door Casper stopped.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave you here," he said, "on the other side of this door is the hallway of the château. You know where to go from here." Samhain nodded and prodded Achroi forward. She closed her eyes as she stepped into her old home. She hadn't set foot in this place in 108 years. The last time she had been here was to kill her family.

She tentatively looked around at the ruined old house. She hated it here and wanted to leave. Samhain hurried her towards the front door. He wanted to get out before Midir found out that they were gone. They stepped out into the sunlight and hurried down the road that led up to the château.

He found his horse nestled between two buildings where he had left it. He helped Achroi mount then jumped on himself and sped away. They were well beyond the borders of Myanmalla by the time Midir found out that they had escaped.

Samhain slowed down as they neared the Evannha Forest. He thought it would be best if they tried to find the old clearing so Achroi could rest. As he rode through the forest Achroi leaned her head against his back and started to relax for the first time since they had left Myanmalla. Merean was gurgling happily in her arms and tugging on the back of his tunic. He smiled to himself and thought: _this baby is going to change our lives, especially Achrois._ As they entered the clearing, Samhain jumped down and took Merean from Achroi. Achroi slid down from the horse then went and settled herself against her tree. Samhain handed Merean to her then sat down beside her. Achroi leaned her head against Samhains shoulder than looked down at Merean. _Now what?_

**And that was chapter 11. Ta-da!! How was it? Did you enjoy it? You pronounce the baby's name like this: Meh-ree-an. Just in case you wanted to know ********. So, review, yeah? OR ELSE!!**


	13. Secrets

**Hey again. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I had to deal with heaps of schoolwork and stuff. But now I'm back. Did anyone miss me? Lol. This is chapter twelve and a bit short. I'm too tired to write anything bigger. Well, enjoy.** Chapter Twelve

Achroi leaned against the tree, Merean held securely in her arms. She looked down into her daughters deep grey eyes and smiled. She never knew that a child could make her so happy. Merean was happily sucking on a rag soaked with blood, the little girl refused point blank to drink milk like a normal baby.

Samhain sat by the fire, trying to cook the rabbit he had caught. Achroi studied him and sighed. She liked Samhain; she liked him a lot more than she should. She often wondered if she should tell him about her feelings and wondered if he liked her just the same. _Probably not_, she thought sadly, _why would anyone ever love a vampyre? After all, we only cause trouble._

She sighed again and this time Samhain looked up. She jumped slightly as he caught her staring and turned away, mortified. He stood up and went to sit beside her, giving up on trying to cook the rabbit.

"What's wrong?" Samhain asked looking at her with concern.

"Nothing," she answered as she continued to look at Merean.

"Don't lie," Samhain said stroking Mereans forehead, "I heard you sighing. Now, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm just tired is all," Achroi answered, too afraid to tell him the truth.

"Are you sure?" Samhain asked not believing her.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just that I didn't realise that looking after a baby would be so tiring."

"Do you want me to hold her for a while?" Achroi considered.

"Yes, please. I haven't eaten in a while. I think I might go hunt, stretch my legs." The blood from the rabbit had been used to feed Merean; it wasn't enough for Achroi.

"Okay, just make sure you're back before dark," Samhain said taking Merean from Achroi, "you know how I get worried when you're gone for ages." Achroi just smiled and left the clearing, leaving Samhain and Merean alone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samhain sat back against the tree, looking at the small child he held in his arms. Merean had grown quite a lot since they had left the château; she now looked 18 months old, not 4 weeks. He didn't understand how she grew so fast, vampyres never aged or so he thought. Achroi had tried to explain the fact that she wasn't a proper vampyre; she was half human as well.

Merean gurgled and reached up. Samhain took hold of her dainty little fingers and kissed them. Merean smiled. He sighed quietly and tried to rock Merean to sleep. She was as stubborn as her mother and refused to do so, gurgling happily and kicking at his arm.

"Merean, what am I going to do with you?" Samhain said smiling, "you won't drink your milk and you won't go to sleep. What ever shall I do with you?" Merean just continued to smile and kick his arm.

"Cheeky," Samhain said grinning. He hugged Merean closer and settled back more comfortably.

"I have a secret," Samhain said to no one in particular, "I have a big secret. And I don't know if I should tell anyone." He looked down. "Do you want to know?" Merean made a chuckling sound and clapped her hands together.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Samhain said rubbing his nose against Mereans as she squealed with delight.

"I think I'm in love with your mother."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Achroi ran through the thick forest in pursuit of a deer. She had found it drinking by a small creek and had jumped at it. But she had missed because she was so unused to hunting, so now she was off on a wild goose chase trying to catch a deer. Finally, she caught up with it. Achroi jumped on its back and sank her fangs into its neck. The deer made a strangled sound and crashed to the ground. Achroi rolled out from under its dead body then sunk her fangs in once more.

She groaned as the warm, sweet liquid filled her mouth and she drank greedily. It had been a long, long time since she last fed. Once she had drained the animal, she stood up ad stretched. It had also been a while since she'd had a good run; she'd been too busy looking after Merean and being stuck in a lab.

Instead of hurrying back to the clearing, Achroi took her time and pondered about things flashing through her mind. She desperately wanted to tell Samhain about her feelings for him but she was afraid that he'd just laugh at her or try and run away. She knew it was stupid to think that but she couldn't help herself. She walked into the clearing swinging her arms and smiling. As she walked in Samhain looked up at her weirdly.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked as she sat down beside him.

"I had fun," she answered turning and smiling at him.

"Did you now?" Samhain said.

"Yes, I did. I enjoyed my run. Did you have fun?"

"Yes, Merean and I had loads of fun. Well, Merean had fun kicking my arm."

"Kicking your arm?"

"Yes, she enjoys that. It makes her happy."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Mind if I try?" Achroi said jokingly.

"Um, no thanks," Samhain said. Achroi just laughed.

"Why not?" Achroi asked giggling madly.

"Because you're a fully fledged vampyre, Merean isn't. You'd do more damage than her," Samhain answered looking at Achroi weirdly.

"Aww, spoil-sport," Achroi pouted while Samhain laughed.

"Yep, you definitely seem to be in a happy mood," Samhain said tugging at a loose strand of Achrois hair. She stopped laughing immediately and looked at her hair.

"What?" Samhain asked confused.

"You tugged my hair," Achroi stated.

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope."

"Okay then," Samhain said looking at her as if she were mad. She just stared back then shrugged and leaned against his shoulder. He leaned his head against hers and fell asleep.

Well, there ya have it folks. Short chapter twelve. I probably won't write anything more until school hols start (so that will be in three days). Hope you enjoyed the chapter and REVIEW OR ELSE!!!!

**Okay, bye!**


	14. Cannibal

**Okay, here it is. Chapter Thirteen. It's also a little short but I couldn't be bothered writing more. Plus I'm going to go and watch a movie soon. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.** Chapter Thirteen

Achroi woke to the sound of Merean crying and rubbed her eyes warily.

"What's wrong, my little cherub?" Achroi asked cuddling Merean. Merean just cried louder and kicked at Achroi's body.

"Will you please tell her to be quiet?" Samhain grumbled sleepily, "It's not yet dawn."

"Well, I'm sorry, but she wants food," Achroi explained then looked down, "and so do I."

"You hunted last night," Samhain pointed out.

"Yeah, and? I'm still hungry and so is Merean," Achroi said juggling Merean on one hip.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Samhain asked yawning.

"Well, you're the male so shouldn't you be up and out looking for food for us poor, pitiful females?" Achroi stated, trying not to laugh.

"You know damn well that you're not a poor, pitiful female Achroi," Samhain said standing up and wobbling slightly, "and you're better than me at hunting for food. So _you_ go and look for food."

"You've got it all wrong, Samhain. I'm good at looking for _my_ food, you're good at looking for my _daughter's_ food." Samhain just raised an eyebrow.

"Come on Samhain, just go look for a rabbit or something," Achroi said pouting, "You know you can't resist this gorgeous face." And Achroi held out Merean to Samhain. He took one look in those big, grey, tear-stained eyes and sighed.

"Fine, I'll go look for a rabbit. But you're looking for your own food," Samhain said pointing at Achroi and walking out of the clearing.

"Now Merean, _that's_ how you handle a man," Achroi said laughing. Merean smiled and touched Achroi's cheek.

Half an hour later Samhain returned with a small bloodstained rabbit. He cut up the veins and let them bleed dry onto the small rag used to feed Merean. He then handed the rag to Achroi he gave it to Merean. Merean snatched at the rag greedily and shoved a corner of it into her mouth.

"Little cannibal," Samhain muttered while Achroi just laughed.

"Well, you want her to grow up big and strong, don't you?" Achroi asked smiling.

"Yes, but she doesn't have to be like that and snatch. I mean, anyone would think we've been starving her!" Achroi burst out laughing and Samhain grinned. Merean squealed loudly then shoved the rag back in her mouth.

"Cannibal…."

While Achroi was out looking for her own food, Samhain carried Merean to the river and bathed her. Merean squealed and splashed around happily, occasionally sticking out her tongue and blowing small raspberries at Samhain. He just laughed and blew them back. After a few minutes he gathered Merean up in his arms and wrapped her in a spare blanket and carried her back to the clearing. Merean gurgled and kicked around happily while Samhain tried to dry her.

"Hold still," Samhain said laughing as Merean kicked and rolled around. He bent down and blew a big raspberry on her stomach causing her to go into a fit of squeals and laughter.

"What are you doing to her?" Achroi asked as she bounced into the clearing, clearly happy about just eating.

"We're having fun," Samhain answered, "we just had a bath that resulted in a water fight. Now we're playing a tickling game." And he blew another raspberry. Achroi giggled helplessly and knelt down beside them.

"Are you having fun?" Achroi cooed in a baby voice. Samhain laughed and continued to dry Merean then handed her to Achroi.

"Where are you going?" Achroi asked as she bounced Merean on her knees.

"To get food," Samhain answered.

"You haven't eaten?" Achroi asked astonished.

"Not yet. I've been looking after Merean."

"You should have told me before I left," Achroi said standing up.

"I didn't want to bother you," Samhain mumbled.

"To hell with that," Achroi snapped, "I can go without food for ages. You can't. Next time just tell me to shut up and go and get your own food."

"Ok then," Samhain said and trudged off. Achroi looked down at Merean who stretched out her arms. Achroi bent down and picked her up. Merean blew bubbles and tugged on Achroi's hair. Achroi smiled and kissed her forehead.

Samhain returned to find Achroi and Merean sleeping soundly against a tree. He tiptoed past them and climbed onto his horse. He needed to go to a village and get some more supplies, no matter how dangerous it was. He walked out silently then once he was away from the clearing he broke into a gallop. He wasn't sure whether he should go to Ollabandia or another town. If he went to another town, he wasn't going to be recognised. But if he went to Ollabandia, someone might recognise him and alert his family. He made his decision and headed for another town. He found the small town he had stayed at when he was looking for Achroi and went to a small stall on the street and bought what they needed. Once he was finished, he decided to take a quick walk around the town and familiarise himself. If he was going to return to this town when they needed more supplies, he was going to need to know where everything was.

As he was about to leave the town, someone leaning against an old building caught his eye. It was the man from the château in Myanmalla. The guy who was meant to be guarding there door and prevent them from escaping. It was Tibble. Samhain stared at him, horrified. Tibble just smiled at him menacingly and advanced towards Samhain. Samhain backed away slightly.

"Come now, don't run away," Tibble jeered, "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

"What do you want?" Samhain asked eyeing Tibble suspiciously.

"I want to know where that stupid little wench and her baby is," Tibble answered, "and I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to tell me."

"I'm not going to tell you," Samhain said defiantly, "I'll _never_ tell you."

"Thought you might say that," Tibble said, "so that's why I organised a little search party. You see they're searching the woods, right now. I'm betting it won't be long before they find her."

"You'll never find her."

"Oh yeah? Is that so? Well, we got something that we didn't have before. Something that's gonna find her real quick."

"I don't believe you," Samhain said but he was starting to doubt his own judgement. What if they did find Achroi and Merean?

"Well, you better. 'Cause it ain't gonna be pretty when we _do_ find her." And with that last statement, Tibble disappeared into the shadows. Samhain gulped and rode off quickly back to the clearing, hoping beyond hope that they hadn't found Achroi yet. But as he neared the clearing he knew something was wrong; _very_ wrong.

Well, what did you think? Good, bad, average? I think this story's going to end soon, depends if I feel like stretching it out and making it longer. Actually, I lie. It depends if I get any reviews or not. The more reviews I get, the longer the story will become AND I'll write a sequel. So, REVIEW OR ELSE!!!!


	15. Swords and Stakes

**Hello again. I was bored so I decided to write some more. Plus it's school holidays now and I have more time to write. Plus the chapters might be longer. So, enjoy!** Chapter Fourteen

Achroi snarled and lashed out at the bulk of a man who tried to grab her wrist. He leaped back, growled, and then lunged at her again. She ducked and swung her leg out, hitting him in the chest and sending him crumpling to the ground. She stood up and took up another fighting stance, ready for anything they threw at her. Another man, though not as bulky, rushed her and managed to punch her below the jaw though not before she had clawed her fingers down his face. He snarled at her as he touched his cheek then ran at her again. Achroi grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back making him scream out in agony. She drew the dagger from her tunic and plunged it into his throat, blood splattering everywhere. She dropped him just as someone else ran at her, but surprisingly he didn't attack. He just danced around her, mocking her. Achroi became angry and sprang at him but he dodged and kicked her in the back, sending her reeling. A deep growl came from her throat and she straightened up. Slowly Achroi turned to face the man, her eyes no longer the colour of smoke but a feral crimson red. She growled again and hissed, baring her fangs. Achroi moved with lightning speed, lashing out at the man but dodging his attacks at the same time. The man became frustrated and in doing so, became sloppy in his footwork. Just what Achroi needed. _One slip and you're gone,_ she thought menacingly as she circled him. He watched her carefully, readying himself for the moment she attacked. But Achroi just continued to circle him, snarling and hissing. The man grew tired of this and lunged but missed. Achroi danced around him and sliced her dagger across his back, the man howling in pain. He turned around and lunged at her again but this time he slipped on the spilt blood of his comrade and crashed to the ground. Achroi was on him in seconds, lifting his head up and placing her dagger at his throat.

"That'll teach you to be sloppy," she said, and drew her dagger across his throat, the man choking and spluttering. Someone started clapping behind her and she wheeled around to face him or her. Midir stood there, his dark cloak billowing around him in the wind, clapping and grinning evilly.

"Amazing Achroi, absolutely amazing," Midir crowed as he stepped towards her, "I see you still possess the ability to fight."

"What do you want?" Achroi snarled not daring to turn her back for fear of being attacked.

"I want what you took from me," Midir said as he continued to come closer. Achroi, noticing how close he was getting, screamed, "Don't come any closer or I'll kill you!"

"Really, Achroi. Do you honestly think that you will be able to kill me?" Midir cackled.

"I told you once and I'll tell you again: _Yes,_" Achroi answered her eyes narrowing. Midir sobered and glared at her. He looked like he wanted to rush at her and kill her, but something behind Achroi caught his attention.

"Ah, Samhain. Come to join the party, have you?" Midir asked as he stepped around Achroi and advanced to Samhain.

"What do you want?" Samhain asked his voice ringing load and clear.

"I want her daughter," Midir answered jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Achroi.

"What do you want with Merean?" Achroi asked walking over and standing beside Samhain.

"Merean? You actually named the child? Amazing…" Midir muttered, "anyway. If you don't hand over the child I'll have no choice but to kill you."

"You won't be touching Merean or Achroi," Samhain spat.

"Little boy, the grown ups are talking so SHUT YOUR HOLE!" Midir roared. Achroi and Samhain glared.

"In any case, I don't think you could stop me from taking the child. I'm much stronger than you, mortal," Midir said as he straightened his tunic.

"He mightn't be stronger than you, but he's a hell of a lot _smarter_ than you," Achroi hissed. Midir just looked at her blankly then turned around when something rustled.

"Ah, Tibble. Glad you could make it," Midir said as Tibble entered the clearing, "did you get the…thing?"

"Yes master, it's on its way," Tibble answered gleefully.

"Good, good," Midir said as he turned back to Achroi. Tibble left.

"You will soon be meeting your demise, little assassin," Midir said as circled them, "I have rounded up something, or rather some_one_, who will help me get rid of you. Though I'm not sure that they actually realise what they will be doing."

"What are you talking about?" Achroi snapped.

"Oh, you will see in due time," Midir said, "now. Where is the child?"

"She's not here," Achroi answered.

"I can see that," Midir said, "where have you taken her?"

"I've hidden her."

"_Where?"_

"Why should I tell you?"

"BECAUSE I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T!"

"Temper, temper," Achroi said shaking her head

"Tell me or I'll…" Midir stopped mid-sentence then turned and looked at the entrance to the clearing. Achroi also turned to look where Midir was and listened. She could hear footsteps, not from a horse, but from…_a human._ _What on earth was a human doing out here?_ Achroi wondered, _I thought they didn't like to venture out into the forest?_ Achroi looked at Midir and studied his face. He seemed to like the idea that a human was coming out here, he didn't seem to be worried. Then it hit her; he had _organised_ for the human to come out here, he wanted one to come. She turned and looked at Samhain, horrified.

"Achroi, what's wrong?" Samhain whispered.

"A human, one's coming," Achroi whispered back.

"Human? What are you talking about?"

"A human is coming here; to _kill_ me. It's probably your father."

"No, he wouldn't do that. I told him that you were good."

"I don't think it's going to make a difference." Achroi turned and faced the entrance again, bracing herself for what ever happened. A man, who was dressed in a deep blue tunic and light brown breeches and a sword sheathed at his side, stepped into the clearing and looked down at the bodies before him. He looked up and did a double take.

"Samhain!" the man said rushing forwards and hugging Samhain, "we have been looking for you. Your mothers worried sick."

"I'm fine," Samhain mumbled not meeting his eyes.

"Samhain, why did you run?"

"I had to find Achroi. I wasn't safe with you," Samhain answered looking up then away again.

"This Achroi has caused nothing but trouble for us, why should you be worried about her?" the man said.

"_Excuse me?_" Achroi said angrily. The man turned to face her clearly annoyed by her rudeness.

"_Excuse me?_" Achroi said again, "What did you say about me?"

"Ah, you must be the infamous Achroi," the man said comprehension finally dawning.

"Yes, I am. Who the hell are you?" Achroi asked rudely.

"I am Emmanuel. Samhains father."

"Samhains _father?_" Achroi asked, eyes widening in shock.

"Yes, my father," Samhain answered looking at Achroi apologetically.

"Oh," Achroi breathed.

"Yes, well now that we're finished with introductions I'd like to get down to business," Midir interrupted. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"This young girl, this _vampyre_, kidnapped your son then tried to kill you," Midir said addressing Emmanuel, "now, that's not a very nice thing to do, is it? Then, she takes him into the village and shows him to you, getting your hopes up and what not, then brutally drags him away again; naughty, naughty Achroi. Then she disappears and leaves him all on his lonesome in this forest. She also convinces Samhain that he's not safe without her, so he goes and tries to find her, leaving you at home worried sick; stupid boy. Then he finds her, helps her escape, and by doing so puts his life in even more danger. Oh yes, did I mention the fact that she kidnapped your sons daughter and then tried to turn him into one of us?" Emmanuel gasped and turned to look at Samhain and Achroi.

"Is this true?" Emmanuel asked Samhain.

"Most of it," Samhain answered, "but Achroi didn't try to turn me and Merean isn't my daughter."

"Lies," Midir said.

"You're the liar!" Achroi burst out.

"Did she try to turn you?" Emmanuel asked.

"No! She never touched me!" Samhain answered growing angry.

"Now now, Samhain, don't lie to Daddy. Tell him the truth," Midir jeered.

"I'm not lying!" Samhain shouted.

"She mightn't have turned you, but she drank from you, yes?" Midir said.

"No!" Samhain shouted.

"She drank from you?" Emmanuel growled turning and glaring at Achroi.

"I never touched him! I wouldn't do th-" Achroi started.

"Don't lie, Achroi. No one likes a liar," Midir said looking at her, mirth in his eyes.

"I'm not lying! I wouldn't tou-" Achroi started but Midir cut her off again.

"Yes, but you stole his daughter!" Midir said trying hard not to laugh.

"Merean isn't his daughter! I don't know who her father is!" Achroi shouted.

"LIAR!" Midir bellowed.

"She's not lying!" Samhain shouted back.

"Who is this Merean?" Emmanuel asked.

"My daughter," Achroi explained.

"I didn't think that vampyres could reproduce," Emmanuel said confused.

"We can't," Achroi explained, "its just that Midir has made some sort of drug that can make female vampyres reproduce. There's just a minor setback to it."

"What kind of setback?" Emmanuel asked.

"The baby starts to kill its mother from inside the womb," Samhain answered.

"How do you know this?" Emmanuel asked surprised.

"I was there when Achroi gave birth," Samhain answered, "I was told that if the baby wasn't removed, it would kill Achroi."

"Kill her? How?" Emmanuel asked.

"It would eat me from the inside out," Achroi answered. Emmanuel paled.

"Is the baby human or a…vam…. vam…"Emmanuel asked struggling for the right word.

"Vampyre?" Samhain put in helpfully.

"Yes, vampyre," Emmanuel said.

"No, she's not a vampyre," Achroi answered, "but she's not human either. She's half and half."

"A dhampir," Midir said. They all looked at him.

"Dhampir?" Emmanuel asked.

"Yes, _dhampir_," Midir answered, "half human, half vampyre. Very rare." _So that's why you want her, _Achroi thought, _you want Merean because she's a rare kind of…species._

"And you…created…. this dhampir?" Emmanuel asked.

"Yes," Midir answered.

"And you decided to make this young girl part of the…experiment?" Emmanuel said, getting slightly angry.

"Yes, she was perfect for it," Midir answered grinning.

"How was she perfect?" Emmanuel asked.

"She needed to be punished," Midir answered matter-of-factly.

"Punished? So you decided to experiment on her for _punishment?_"

"Yes."

"MONSTER!" Emmanuel roared and he lunged forward and tried to strike at Midir. _Guess your plan backfired, Midir, _Achroi thought gleefully; _he wants you now, not me._ Midir just gracefully stepped to the side as Emmanuel thundered past him. Emmanuel turned around and pulled out his sword. Midir just laughed at him.

"You're no match for me, mortal," Midir said laughing as he, too, pulled out a sword.

"No, but I am," Achroi said as she stepped forward pulling her own sword out from its sheath that was lying on the ground.

"Are you really going to fight me Achroi?" Midir asked cackling.

"Yes I am," Achroi answered going into a fighting stance.

"Well, you can die trying!" Midir said and he lunged at her, sword jabbing. Achroi danced out of the way, turned around and poked out her tongue.

"Come and get me, old fart," she jeered. Midir roared with fury and ran at her. Their swords clashed together as they fought and moved around the clearing. Achroi jumped away then back again and dug her sword into Midirs arm. He yelped and pulled away, swiping carelessly at her.

"Going to have to do better than that, Midir," Achroi said as she raced forward, sword raised above her head. She brought the sword down, aiming for Midirs throat but he blocked her and pushed her away. Emmanuel ran forward, trying to stab Midir from behind but Midir had him soaring away with just a flick of his wrist.

"Bloody bastards a magician," Achroi swore as she scrambled to her feet again. _Well, that explains how he came up with the drug_, Achroi thought as she blocked Midir and kicked him in the ribs. The fight was now just between Midir and Achroi for Emmanuel had been knocked out cold when Midir had seemingly just flicked him away and into a tree.

They circled each other, both calling out childish names and insults. Achrois eyes had turned back to the feral crimson and Midirs were the same. The vampyre within her always emerged when she was in a life or death fight. Midir lunged at her then jumped to the side, swinging at her and cutting her side. Achroi cried out but refused to let the pain get the better of her. She gritted her teeth and straightened up even thought it nearly killed her. She jumped forward and kicked Midir in the face, blood spurting from his nose. She brought her sword around and jabbed it into his stomach. It wouldn't kill him, but it'd slow him down, which would help. Midir grunted then glared at her.  
He yelled and raced forward, sword raised above his head. He took many swings at Achroi as she struggled to get away from him. He was gaining on her, which wasn't good. She turned around and tried to take a swing at him but she wasn't fast enough. He kicked her sword out of her hands and ran her through. Achroi screamed and crumpled. But she wasn't dead, not yet. She tried to stand up but Midir kicked her and she fell back down. Midir lifted Achroi up by her hair and threw her into a tree. She managed to sit up and glare at Midir.

"Goodbye, little assassin," he whispered in her ear. Then he pulled a wooden stake from within his tunic then stabbed it into her unbeating heart. Achroi gasped slightly then slumped forward, not moving. Midir straightened up then turned to Samhain. The boy stood there pale and crying. His whole body was shaking with anger. Midir just smirked and left the clearing. Samhain looked at Achrois lifeless body and howled.

Oh dear. I'm evil, aren't I? But it was bound to happen. Poor, poor Samhain; What ever will he do? This isn't the end though, oh no. We still have to find Merean.

**I think I'm going to write a sequel for this story. What do you think? Sequel or no sequel? The sequel will mainly be about Merean, and all the trouble she gets herself into. **

**Anyways, please review. I'd like to hear what you have to say. I'll be updating soon, so look out for it.**

**Bye bye**

**Mwahahahahaha**


	16. Promises

**Well, here's another chapter. This one is from Samhain's POV when Achroi dies.** Chapter Fifteen

Samhain stood frozen as he watched Midir and Achroi fight. Both of them had injuries, though they were not big enough to kill or slow them down. He could see the sweat dripping off Achrois face and the determination in her eyes. This was one fight she didn't want to lose. He watched them circle each other, both prepared for when the other attacked.

He watched as Midir lunged forward and tried to strike at Achroi but she danced out of his way and at the same time jabbing her sword into Midir's arm. _Yes!_ Samhain thought but it wasn't enough to severely injure him. As Samhain continued to watch Midir and Achroi spar, he saw something flash by out of the corner of his eye.

His father had rushed at Midir, sword raised and ready to strike but Midir just raised his wrist and flicked it, sending his father flying. Samhain heard the sickening crunch as his father was flung into a tree then lay motionless beneath it.

He returned his attention to Achroi, who was circling Midir again. Both of them were calling out insults and their eyes had turned a feral crimson red. _Just like in my dream_, Samhain thought. Suddenly Midir lunged at Achroi and she tried to jump out of the way but his sword sliced her side.

Achroi crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain. Samhain wanted to rush to her side and comfort her, but he knew that if he got in Midirs way he was surely going to be killed. Even though she was badly injured Achroi stood up and still continued to fight. Samhain was amazed at the strength and determination she had; she really didn't want to hand over Merean.

He watched as Achroi jumped forward and kicked Midir in the face, causing blood to spatter everywhere, and then she lodged her sword into his stomach. Midir roared with fury and glared at Achroi. Thinking that the fight was over and Midir was going to die, Samhain started forwards but immediately stopped when Midir advanced on Achroi and started swinging wildly at her.

Achroi was struggling to get away and Samhain clenched and unclenched his fists, tension running through his entire being. He watched Achroi turn around and try to take a swing at Midir but she wasn't fast enough, nowhere near fast enough. Midir kicked the sword out of her hands and plunged his own into her stomach, the tip protruding from her back.

Samhain screamed as Midir pulled the sword out and Achroi fell to the ground. _No, no, no! This can't be happening!_ Samhain watched in agony as Achroi was thrown against a tree. Midir knelt beside her and seemed to whisper something in her ear. Samhains eyes widened in shock as something long, wooden and pointy appeared in Midirs hands.

"NOOO!" Samhain screamed as Midir plunged that wooden thing, a stake, into Achrois chest. He watched helplessly as Achroi's eyes widened in shock then she slumped forward. Samhain could hear himself screaming but he couldn't stop himself. It was as if someone else had taken control of his body. He watched as Midir stood up and smirked at him. He was still rooted to the spot when Midir left the clearing. Samhain just stood still and stared at Achroi. Realisation finally kicked in and Samhain ran to Achroi's side.

"No, no, no, no!" Samhain moaned as he dropped to Achroi's side, "no, no, no." He put his hand to her neck then mentally slapped himself. _Vampyres don't have pulses, idiot! _Samhain mentally berated himself. He took hold of one of her cold hands and clasped it in his.

"Please don't leave me," Samhain whimpered, tears streaking his face, "please don't leave me." He rolled Achroi onto her back and pulled her into his arms and then nearly shrieked. Achroi was looking at him, blood smeared over her face.

"You're not dead!" Samhain yelled, hugging her hard.

"Ow," Achroi breathed. Samhain let go then looked at her worriedly.

"I thought you were dead! I saw him stake you and then you slumped forwards and didn't move so I assumed the worst," Samhain babbled. Achroi just smiled weakly and motioned for him to be quiet; he shut up.

"He did stake me," Achroi said quietly as though talking gave her great pain, "he just didn't hit my heart directly. It's a cruel way to let a vampyre die, not staking them properly. It's bloody torture."

"So, so you…you're…"Samhain couldn't bring himself to say the word.

"Dying, yes," Achroi said weakly.

"No! No! You can't! You can't leave me here! What about Merean? What's she going to do?! What am I going to do?" Samhain babbled already crying again. Achroi smiled weakly again and touched his cheek with her free hand.

"You're going to have to look after her," Achroi answered struggling to draw breath, "she's going to need you to help and protect her. And as for you, well, you'll be fine. You were fine before we met and you'll be fine after I leave you."

"No I won't," Samhain, said stubbornly, "everything's different now. I don't want you to leave."

"I kind of don't have a choice," Achroi said, some of her old sarcasm creeping back into her voice. Samhain tried to smile but found he couldn't.

"I suppose I should tell you where Merean is before I die," Achroi said, producing a lopsided smile, "by the river is a hollow tree. She's hidden in there, her blanket and feeding rag is there as well. Promise me you'll look after her."

"I won't have to. You'll get better-" Samhain started but Achroi cut him off.

"Promise me," she pleaded. Samhain looked at her, eyes wide.

"I promise," he said holding back a fresh set of tears. Achroi smiled and coughed. Samhain looked at her sadly. He didn't want this to happen, he didn't want her to die. Never had he thought that one day Achroi would be defeated and she would be lying helplessly in his arms, dying; that thought had never occurred to him. And now it did occur because it was happening right here and now.

He tried to blink back more tears and tried to settle on more happy thoughts but found none. His best friend was lying in his arms, about to draw her last breath any minute. His thoughts flicked to Merean and what he had told her not so long ago. He decided that his secret should be shared with Achroi.

"I have to tell you something," Samhain whispered holding her close, "it's a little embarrassing but I thought that I should tell you, you know, with all that's just happened…"

"What is it?" Achroi asked as she rested her head against his chest, listening to his erratic heartbeat.

"I love you," Samhain whispered his arms tightening around her, pulling her even closer. Achroi smiled and leaned closer into him.

"I love you, too," Achroi admitted as Samhain stared at her in shock.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered.

"You heard," Achroi said coughing slightly, "I love you, too." Samhain just looked at her and she smiled. _I've finally found someone who I love and she's about to leave me,_ Samhain thought sadly, _could my life become any worse?_ Samhain looked down worriedly as Achroi started coughing violently and stopped breathing. He watched horrified as she stopped moving. Silently he watched the life fade from her grey eyes and started sobbing uncontrollably. He buried his face at the base of her neck and moaned and cried. He was now alone in the world.

Samhain stood numbly and retrieved a blanket from his horse. He covered Achroi with the blanket and stood there and stared. He didn't want to leave her side; he wanted to stay there forever. He had eyed her sword longingly, wishing that he could summon the courage to plunge it into his own chest, letting him be with Achroi forever.

But something had stopped him: his promise. He had to look after Merean, had to protect her from Midir. _Merean_. Samhain shook himself from his silent stupor, berating himself for forgetting about Merean. He headed off towards the river, always on the lookout for anyone who had remained behind and tried to attack him. Once he reached the river safely he looked around for a hollow tree.

A few meters down the river, just beside the bank, stood a small hollow tree. As Samhain got closer to the tree, he could hear the sound of a baby crying. Samhain knelt down beside the tree and pulled Merean out. He hugged the wailing baby close, breathing in her smell. Merean was now the only connection he had left to Achroi, the other connections were mere memories and they just weren't good enough.

He bundled up Merean more tightly in her blanket, collected her feeding rag, and set off for the clearing. As he stepped into the clearing, Samhain was shocked to find his father awake. Emmanuel looked up in surprise as he saw his son walk into the clearing, a small child held protectively in his arms. Emmanuel walked over to Samhain and looked down at the little girl in his arms.

"So this must be Merean," Emmanuel said as he watched the child reach for Samhains fingers.

"Yes," Samhain answered stiffly, his throat hurting from all his crying.

"And where's Achroi?" Emmanuel asked. Samhains eyes watered and his heart ached at the sound of her name. Wordlessly, he motioned to where Achroi lay covered beneath the tree. Emmanuel looked over and sighed.

"Samhain, I'm so-" Emmanuel started.

"Don't," Samhain said, "just don't." Emmanuel nodded understandingly and walked over to Samhains horse and readied the saddle. Emmanuel took Merean from Samhains arms as Samhain climbed onto his horse. The child looked up at him and smiled. Samhain reached down for Merean and his father handed her to him. Emmanuel untied Achrois horse and led it over to her body.

Carefully, Emmanuel lifted Achroi onto the horse. He grabbed the reins and led the horse out of the clearing, Samhain with Merean silently following. Samhain had to order himself not to look at the body draped across the black horse in front of him and tried to focus on other things around him. Merean squealed and he looked down at her.

"It's just you and I now, little one," Samhain said. Merean smiled and looked up at him with her big, grey eyes.

Well, there ya have it folks. I'll post the next chapter (Achroi's funeral) soon. I've decided that I'm definitely going to be writing a sequel, whether you think I should or not. So, PLEASE REVIEW!

Bye


	17. The Funeral

Chapter Sixteen

Samhain lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. It had been four days since Achroi had been killed and her funeral was tomorrow. They had decided to bury her in the families on private plot in the graveyard. After all, to Samhain she was family and deserved a proper burial place. Merean lay in her cot at the foot of his bed, sleeping soundly. She didn't understand just yet that Achroi wasn't coming back. Merean now looked a like a two-year-old. She had a little mop of dark brown hair that curled at the tips, her eyes were the same deep grey as Achrois had been and she was starting to talk. Samhain heard her say "Mum" the other day and it nearly broke his heart. Merean would never know her Mum, well, not properly at least. Samhain breathed in deeply then exhaled. He missed her so much; he didn't know how he was going to cope. He was already struggling to raise Merean and keep her fed every day. His mother had tried to help feed her, but Merean refused to take anything Anthea gave her. Pearl had made the mistake of trying to give Merean milk and had ended up with a nasty bite on her wrist. And Samhain was struggling to find a decent amount of blood for Merean to snack on, one measly rabbit no longer kept her full. Samhain looked up as Merean started to cry; she wanted her lunch. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed and walked over to Merean. She was crying and looking up at him, reaching out with her small, chubby arms. He leaned down and picked her up. She settled down a bit but was still crying. He carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen, looking for her bottle. He found it but it was empty. He turned to Anthea.

"What happened to all the blood that was in here?" Samhain asked shaking the bottle.

"She drank it all," Anthea answered, "you're going to have to go out and find her more."

"Go into town?" Samhain asked shocked, "I can't take Merean into town. It's too dangerous."

"You can leave her here, she'll be fine with me," Anthea said holding her arms out for Merean. Samhain looked down at Merean then sighed and handed her over to Anthea. As soon as Anthea had her, Merean started screaming.

"Hush now," Anthea scolded, "your Daddy's going to go find you some food." But Merean didn't hush, if anything she just screamed louder.

"Merean, be quiet!" Anthea snapped.

"Don't speak to he like that," Samhain said, "she's only a child and she's hungry."

"She needs to learn some manners," Anthea said trying to sooth Merean.

"She's only a month old," Samhain protested.

"She doesn't look it," Anthea said, "I think that within the next few months, at the rate she's aging, she'll look like a five-year-old girl and she'll have to start attending school."

"School? Mother, she's a dhampir!" Samhain said, "she can't go to school, she's not like other children. You can't keep pretending that she's a normal child."

"Well what else am I going to do with her?" Anthea said sighing, "she won't be much of a help in the kitchen and she can't help you with your chores. Besides, if she plays with children her age, maybe she'll become normal."

"What if she doesn't want to normal?" Samhain asked, "what if she wants to be like her mother?"

"What, dead?" Anthea said. Samhain paled and gritted his teeth.

"Don't. Say. That," Samhain said quietly but menacingly, "don't ever say that."

"Well, I'm sorry but Achroi's dead," Anthea said, "and there's nothing you can do to change that."

"I'm going," Samhain said stalking towards the door and making sure to slam it close behind him.

Samhain wondered through the Evannha Forest, searching for an animal to feed Merean. He needed to find something bigger than a rabbit so it would keep her full for a few days. He spied a small doe drinking at a little creek and readied his bow. He aimed the arrow for its heart and let it fly. The arrow hit the target with a small thud, the doe collapsing onto the forest floor. Samhain walked over to the body and tied a rope around its back legs. He then dragged it through the forest back to his home. He found Merean playing on a rug in the kitchen in front of the fire. She squealed with delight when she saw him and crawled over to him. She raised her arms and looked at him expectantly. It was her way of saying "up!"

He walked over and picked her up and she gave him her small "bear hug." He sat her down on the table beside the deer and started cutting it up. She wasn't disgusted when he cut open her food; she got excited. She started talking in her own language and reached for the veins.

"No, not yet," Samhain said playfully slapping he hand away. Merean watched him intently, waiting for the okay to dig in. Once Samhain had located all the veins, he handed a smaller one to Merean. She stuffed one end of the small vein in her mouth and sucked away happily, occasionally pulling it out and grinning at Samhain. She no longer needed her rag, she was old enough to snatch a vein and drink from it. Soon enough he would start to have to put it in a small cup for her. He watched her carefull as she drank. She was kicking her small legs back and forwards and looking around the room. Her eyes fell on Samhain and she dropped the vain and pointed at him saying, "Da."

Samhain just smiled and picked up the vein that she'd dropped then realised that she was finished.

"Merean, do you have to guts it?" Samhain asked shaking his head. He put the vein in the bin and turned around to pick her up. But she wasn't having it. She kept staring at the carcass and pointing to the veins lying on a rag.

"No," Samhain said picking her up and taking her out of the kitchen, "no more for you." Merean started crying and kept pointing back at the kitchen. She kept baby talking and pointing and crying.

"No more," Samhain said putting her on the couch. Merean just kept crying and pointing.

"All gone," Samhain said and spreading his hands out.

"More!" Merean shouted pointing. Samhain just looked at her.

"You learn fast. What else can you say?" Samhain asked. Merean just stared at him blankly.

"What else can you say?" Samhain asked. Merean just continued to flick her gaze from Samhain to the kitchen.

"Moooore!" Merean mumbled pointing and looking at Samhain.

"Is that all you can say? More?" Samhain asked. Merean shook her had and continued to point.

"It's rude to point, Merean," Samhain said lying down beside her.

"More, Da, more!" Merean said bouncing up and down.

"No, no more," Samhain said.

"More! More!" Merean shouted.

"No!" Samhain said, trying not to laugh.

"No laughy, Da!" Merean said. Samhain stared at her.

"What did you say?" Samhain asked sitting up and staring at her.

"No laughy," Merean said giggling.

"What else can you say?" Samhain asked.

"Lots," Merean said bouncing again, "I say lots and lots! I learn fast!"

"You sure do," Samhain, said amazed.

"I learn fast from Da!" Merean said happily.

"And why do you learn fast for Da?" Samhain asked.

"If I learn fast, I get more!" Merean announced happily.

"Oh really?" Samhain said.

"Yes!" Merean said nodding her head vigorously.

"How much have you learned to say?" Samhain asked, "and since when have you been able to talk?"

"I learn lots!" Merean said, "I learn talky this many days ago!" And she held up four chubby fingers.

"Four days ago?" Samhain asked.

"Yes, this many days ago!" Merean said still holding up four fingers.

"You're clever girl," Samhain said hugging Merean and kissing her forehead.

"Me clever!" Merean said pointing at herself.

"Yes, very clever," Samhain said smiling at her with admiration.

"You clever to Da! And Mama clever!" Merean announced happily.

"Yes, Mama was clever," Samhain said sadly, "she was very clever."

"Where Mama?" Merean asked looking around.

"She gone," Samhain, said taking on her baby talk.

"Gone where?" Merean asked touching Samhains cheeks.

"She's gone," Samhain repeated trying hard not to try cry.

"Gone where?" Merean asked again, "she come back?"

"No, she's not coming back," Samhain said. He wasn't sure how to explain it all to her.

"Whhhyy?" Merean asked, tears welling in her big eyes.

"Because she can't," Samhain said.

"Where she gone?" Merean asked.

"Heaven," Samhain answered.

"Where that?" Merean asked frowning in confusion.

"Up in the sky," Samhain answered.

"Mama in the sky?" Merean asked, "she up with the fluffy clouds?"

"Yes, she's up with the fluffy clouds," Samhain answered.

"And with the twinkles," Merean said giggling.

"Twinkles?" Samhain asked.

"Yes, the twinkles," Merean answered, "the sparkles in the black sky."

"Oh, you mean the stars," Samhain said comprehension finally dawning.

"Yes, the twinkles," Merean said, 'is Mama up with them?"

"Yes, I suppose she is," Samhain said.

"Which one?" Merean asked excitedly. She slipped off the couch and half crawled and ran towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going, missy?" Samhain asked standing in front of the door and blocking Merean.

"I'm going to find Mama's twinkle," Merean announced pointing at the door.

"Okay then," Samhain said lifting her up and carrying her outside. Merean squirmed in his arms to get a better look at the night sky. It was a clear night, not a cloud in sight and all the stars were twinkling brightly.

"Which one's Mama's?" Merean asked looking up at the sky.

"Which ever one you choose," Samhain answered a lump forming in his throat and tears springing to his eyes.

"I choose…. that one!" Merean said pointing to the brightest star in the sky.

"Okay the, that's Mama's star," Samhain said letting the tears slid down his face.

"What was Mama's name?" Merean asked wiping away a tear.

"Achroi."

The next day was the day of Achroi's funeral. Samhain had dressed in a tuxedo that he had taken from his father and he dressed Merean in the little black dress that Anthea had made her. Samhain had found out last night that Merean was pretending to not know how to walk. She could now walk and run and do everything a child her age should do.

He walked down the stairs and waited in the kitchen for the rest of his family. Merean came skipping into the kitchen wearing the silk dress he dressed her in. Her long dark, curly hair was pinned back and she had a little black bow at the side of her head. She run up to him and jumped into his arms.

"You look pretty today," Samhain said kissing her cheek.

"So do you, Da," Merean said tugging on his tie.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Emmanuel asked as he entered the kitchen followed by Anthea, Pearl, Antoinette, and Cordellia. They were all wearing black and looked solemn. They left the house and climbed into the family carriage. There weren't enough seats so Merean happily sat on Samhains lap. They arrived at the cemetery ten minutes later and made their way to the family's private plot. A fresh grave had been dug and a black coffin was beside it. Samhains throat tightened when he saw the coffin, knowing that his beloved Achroi was in there.

"Is Mama in there?" Merean asked quietly pointing at the coffin. Samhain just nodded quietly.

The service started and everyone quietened. Merean was gripping Samhains hand, staring at the coffin with curiosity. Samhain was quietly crying while the rest of his family looked deeply saddened. The service ended and Achroi's coffin was lowered into the ground. Merean tried to squirm her way out of Samhains grip and tried to run to the coffin.

"Mama!" Merean cried, "Mama! You have to get out! No more games Mama come out!" Samhain started crying harder as he pulled Merean away.

"No!" Merean cried again, "let go, Da! Mamas in there! They're going to put her in the ground! We have to get her out!"

"No, Merean," Samhain said quietly trying to restrain the struggling child, "we can't get her out. She belongs there now. She's dead, we can't bring her back."

"Dead?" Merean wailed, "No! Mama! MAMA!" The coffin was lowered into the grave and dirt was being shovelled onto it. Merean continued to scream and cry for her Mama, not understanding that she was never coming back.

Once they left, Merean had lowered her screaming to soft sobs. She wouldn't let anyone touch her; she wanted to be left alone. Samhains family piled back into the carriage but he said he wanted to say one last goodbye. He trudged back up to the fresh grave and stood there and wept. The way Merean had screamed and cried had deeply upset him, he knew that Merean would never fully understand what happened and it hurt him. He said his final goodbyes and left his beloved Achroi behind for the last time.

Well, that was the funeral. I'm going to add an epilogue at the end. It says about Merean growing up, Samhain getting older, and Midir hatching another evil plan. I want to know if I should do a sequel or not. If I do decide to do a sequel, it will be about Merean, Midir and a new character (haven't figured out who that will be though). Samhain will still be part of it but he'll be older, a lot older. Anyways, let me know what you think. And please review!!!!!

VampSa


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue

Merean sat in the garden, her knees tucked up against her chest. It had been three years since they had buried her mother, Achroi. Merean now looked like a fifteen-year-old girl, even though technically she was only 3 and a half.

Anthea had sent her to school but it didn't work out. Merean knew that she was different from all the other children. She was faster, stronger, smarter and the others didn't like it. They teased her, called her a "freak." At first it had hurt, the name-calling. But then Merean wondered if she really was a freak and if there really was something wrong with her. Samhain, Da, had said that she was a unique and wonderful girl and that all the other children were jealous because they weren't as special as her. Being young and naïve, she had believed him. But as she grew older, Merean thought otherwise.

Merean lay down and stared at the starry sky. She looked around at all the "twinkles" as she had called them when she was young. Finally, she found it. The brightest star in the sky: Mama's twinkle. Merean smiled and just watched the star. She always felt calm when she looked at her mothers star. It gave her the sense that she really was loved and being watched over.

Finally, she decided to go inside. She stood up and stretched out her long legs. Apparently she'd inherited her mother's height, eyes and hair. Though she'd been told her hair was nowhere near as long as her mothers was. Mereans hair just touched her shoulders, and Achroi's had reached her waist. Merean wanted to grow her hair out and be just like her mother. When she had told Da that she wanted to be exactly like Mama, he had flipped. He had yelled at her, saying that he forbade her from ever being like her mother. Merean had asked why and Da had replied by saying that he didn't want to lose her like he lost Achroi. Merean had asked countless times how Achroi had died, but Da just said that she wasn't old enough to know.

Merean thought that was unfair, and desperately wanted to know more about her mother. She had tried to get Grandda, Emmanuel, to tell her but he said that Samhain would tell her all she needed to know when she was old enough. She had even tried Grandmamma but she had said the same thing as Grandda. Even Aunt Pearl wouldn't tell her. Aunt Pearl had said that she'd only heard of Mama, she'd never actually seen her. Antoinette and Cordellia were dead ends as well; they'd never even heard of Achroi. Merean thought that Aunt Antoinette and Aunt Cordellia weren't the brightest crayons in the box.

Merean walked into the small warm kitchen, lost in her thoughts. She didn't see Da sitting at the table and drinking his whisky; a new habit of late. She climbed up the stairs and went to her room, which was Aunt Antoinette's old room. She flung herself down on her bed and wondered if she'd ever know the truth about her mother.

Samhain sat at the kitchen table, cradling a glass of whisky in his hands. _Three years,_ he thought, _three years since she's been gone._ He looked at the bottle on the table and poured even more drink into his glass. He knew that he shouldn't be drinking, and that he should be looking after Merean. But he had to try and remember that she was a teenager now and that she had a mind of her own. He shuddered at the thought of his baby girl going out and dating boys. No, he didn't want to think about that right now. He'd cross that bridge when he'd come to it. He watched as Merean walked on through the kitchen door, clearly lost in her thoughts. She spent a great deal of her time out doors, immersing herself in her books and her thoughts.

She rarely spoke to him but he could see why. Why would she want to talk to a father who sat and drank whisky all day? If she tried to talk to him, surely he'd just gaze at her stupidly while the drink muddled his mind. Samhain sighed and put the drink down. It was about time that he did something with his life and stopped living in the past. He was now nineteen, the age where he should start looking for a bride. The only problem was that none of the girls in the village caught his fancy. They were all plain and boring compared to his Achroi. _Achroi_, he thought, _I have to stop thinking about her. Stop living in the past, Samhain._

He got up and dumped the whisky bottle in the bin and trudged up the stairs. He collapsed on his bed and decided that tomorrow he would start anew; turn over a new leaf.

Midir sat in his chair, studying the photo that Tibble had retrieved for him. It was a picture of a young girl around the age of fifteen. She was tall and slim, grey eyes and dark brown hair. She looked exactly like Achroi yet she wasn't. Her hair wasn't raven black, lick Achrois had been. It was more of a dark brown. And it wasn't as long as Achrois. Hers had been waist length, but this girl's hair only reached her shoulders. He had been told that the girl in the photo was Achrois daughter: Merean.

Midir chuckled to himself as he set the photo aside. Midir had achieved his greatest goal. He had created two dhampirs, a male and a female. The female was Merean, but Midir guessed that she had absolutely no idea about what she was. The male was his "son", Dark. Dark had been born from a woman who Midir had kept prisoner for several years. She was his wife in a way. Midir settled back in his chair as a plan formed in his head. He would have to wait until that dolt, Samhain, told Merean about who she really was and all about her mother. As for Dark, he already knew everything there was to know about dhampirs. And Midir had even told him everything about Achroi and her daughter Merean. Dark was very excited to meet Merean, but not for the reasons of meeting someone like him. Midir had told him to follow Merean, befriend her and convince her that Samhain had been lying to her all along. Assuming that Merean will believe Dark, he'd then lead her to Myanmalla and take her to the château. Then Midir would have two dhampirs to experiment on. After all, dhampirs were extremely rare. There was only four known in the history of the vampyre world. All he had to do now was wait for Merean to unknowingly slip into his hands….

As he slept, Samhain dreamed. He dreamed that he was back in the clearing, waiting for Achroi to return. He turned around when he heard rustling behind him. Achroi stepped out of the trees, wearing a white and pale blue dress. He hair was lose and had little braids woven through it. She smiled at him but this time when she smiled, she no longer had fangs. Even though she was no vampyre, he still knew that she was his Achroi.

She came and sat down beside him and leant her head on his shoulder. Samhain rested his head on hers and sighed. If only this were real.

"What makes you think that it isn't real?" Achroi asked looking up at him with her beautiful grey eyes.

"Well, you're dead," Samhain said matter-of-factly.

"Only in reality," Achroi answered, "but in your mind and heart I'll always be alive. I'll never really leave you Samhain."

"I know," Samhain, said, "I'm just a little upset that you left me in the real world."

"I didn't have a choice, Samhain," Achroi said softly, "I'd already had second chance at life. It wouldn't be fair to get a third. And besides, it was my time to go."

"I realise that," Samhain said, "it's just that it's hard. I tried to raise Merean for you, but she's been getting out of hand. She's been rebelling and not doing as she is told. She's getting a little frustrating."

"Well what did you expect?" Achroi asked laughing, "she's my daughter, remember? And just remember that she's a teenager now. You have to know that she is going to be overbearing."

"I know," Samhain said smiling at Achroi, "I just wish you were here to help me. Maybe if you were still there, she wouldn't be as rebellious. I think she just needs a mother figure."

"Well, maybe you should marry," Achroi, suggested.

"I can't," Samhain, mumbled, "I'm still in love with you."

"Samhain," Achroi sighed, "you can't keep living in the past. You have to move on."

"I know. It's just really hard."

"Promise me that when you wake up, you'll move on," Achroi said holding his hand, "promise me that you'll move on and find happiness. I can't be happy if you're not."

"Achroi…"

"Promise me, Samhain."

"Okay, I promise."

"Thankyou." And Achroi tilted her head up and gently kissed him on the lips.

"I'll always love you Samhain. Now and forever."

The End

**And that is the end to "For The Price Of Knowing."**

**What did you think? Was it any good? I'd really love some reviews.**

**I would really like to do a sequel but I want to know all your opinions. So please review and let me know!**

**I'd like to thank all those who reviewed this story. You guys were the reason why I decided to keep going. Thankyou everyone!**

**VampSa**


	19. Authors Final Note

**Authors Final Note**

I'd just like to thank all those who reviewed this story. You were the reason why I kept going. I'd really appreciate it if people didn't steal any ideas from this story or the characters, because I have sent this off to a publisher. I'm waiting for his or her reply, and if it does get published I don't want anyone else to try and take the credit.

Anyways, I'm thinking of a sequel. It will probably be titled "The Assassins Daughter".

Anyways, review or PM me and let me know what you think. I'd appreciate any ideas for the sequel.

Thankyou again to all those who reviewed, you rock!

**Yours Truly,**

**VampSa**


End file.
